Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2026: Why isn't your breast cancer treatment the same as hers? Doctor reveals the truth behind personalized medicine

How personalised medicine shapes breast cancer treatment? Why women with similar diagnoses receive different therapies based on tumour biology.

Advances in breast cancer diagnosis are helping doctors to precisely investigate different breast tumor types and provide personalized treatment for patients. One may be advised to take hormone-blocking tablets and, based on further testing, may safely avoid chemotherapy.

Why do two women with breast cancer need different treatments? (Adobe Stock)

By Tavishi Dogra

Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust.

Career journey and experience
Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon.

From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?”

Subject expertise
With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions.

In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context.

Education and professional background
Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first.

Editorial Philosophy
I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers.

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"The other may need surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of treatments", Dr Prashanth Bagali, Head of Scientific Affairs, Oncology and Rare Diseases, MedGenome Labs Ltd, tells Health Shots. Why do their treatment plans differ despite having seemingly similar breast cancer? Understanding these differences helps doctors select the most appropriate treatment for each patient.

Understanding the different types of breast cancer

These include estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) tests that determine whether cancer cells respond to hormonal therapy, because ER and PR stimulate tumor growth. HER2 testing checks for excess HER2 protein expression, which promotes cancer growth.

• Tumor grades and cancer stages are different. Still, HER2-targeted treatments have significantly improved outcomes. Depending on the cancer stage and individual circumstances, treatment may include HER2-targeted medicines alongside chemotherapy.
• TNBC requires hereditary cancer next-generation sequencing panels to identify inherited BRCA1, BRCA2, PIK3CA, ESR1, RAD51C, and PTEN genes and determine treatment options, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, PARP inhibitors, or combinations of these treatments.

How advanced testing helps refine treatment?

No single marker defines a tumour's molecular signature. While routine pathology and receptor testing provide the foundation for treatment decisions, advanced genetic and genomic tests play an important role in prognosis, treatment selection, family counseling, determining drug efficacy, and monitoring recurrence or relapse of cancers. Depending on test results, Oncologists discuss treatment choices, surgical decisions, future cancer screening, and risk assessment tests with patients and family members. A genetic test result isn't just information for the patient; it's information for the entire family.

The right treatment for the right patient

Genomic testing in the early stages of cancer helps examine the activity of multiple cancer-causing genes to estimate the risk of cancer recurrence (cancer relapse) and guide treatment decisions. Beyond diagnosis, other genomic tests look for specific DNA changes that may guide targeted treatment, particularly in advanced cancer.

(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.)