Axel Grothey, MD, Professor of Oncology, Consultant, Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the first-line use of the targeted agent trastuzumab (Herceptin) to treat HER2-positive gastroesophageal cancer.

Trastuzumab is the first targeted agent to be used as a first-line therapy in gastroesophageal cancer. All patients with the disease should now be test for an overexpression of HER2. If patients are HER2-positive trastuzumab should be added to the standard chemotherapy, which is usually 5-fluorouracil and platinum agents such as cisplatin.