Dr. William Gradishar on Updates in NCCN Breast Cancer Guidelines

William Gradishar, MD, Betsy Bramsen Professorship of Breast Oncology, Professor in Medicine-Hematology/Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses changes to the NCCN Breast Cancer Guidelines.

One of the most significant changes in the guidelines is that duel-targeting of the HER2-pathway for patients with operable HER2-positive breast cancer is now recommended, says Gradishar. This change was based on the NeoSphere trial, which showed that the use of pertuzumab and trastuzumab with chemotherapy improved pathological complete response versus other regimens. This may lead to improved outcomes overall, says Gradishar.

In hormone receptor-positive metastatic disease, the guidelines now recommend endocrine therapy combined with targeted agents instead of just endocrine therapy alone, says Gradishar. In trials, this combination has translated into a marked improvement in progression-free survival.