Howard S. Hochster, MD, FACP, associate director of clinical research and director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, director of oncology research for RWJBarnabas Health, and attending physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, discusses treatment considerations for patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer.

Various therapeutic options are currently available for patients with gastric cancer. Determining whether a patient has HER2 overexpression is important, even though its presence is less common in gastric cancer compared with breast cancer, according to Hochster. For these patients, anti-HER2 drugs can be utilized either as monotherapies or in combination with other agents, Hochster says.

Immunotherapy has become part of the paradigm for use in either the first-line or maintenance setting in patients with gastric cancer, Hochster adds. Patients who have high PD-1 expression can derive a good deal of benefit from immunotherapy, Hochster concludes.

Videos

Howard S. Hochster, MD, FACP, discusses treatment considerations for patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer.

Dr. Hochster on Treatment Considerations for HER2+ Gastric Cancer

Howard S. Hochster, MD, FACP, associate director for clinical research and director, Gastrointestinal Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, director of oncology research, RWJBarnabas Health, discusses important takeaways from the randomized, double-blind, phase III POLO trial in pancreatic cancer. 

Investigators reported a progression-free survival benefit with olaparib (Lynparza) as maintenance therapy for patients with germline 

-mutated metastatic pancreatic cancer who had not progressed during first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

From this study, Hochster concludes that global genetic testing for germline 

-mutated disease should be implemented. Although 

 mutations are found in about 8% of all patients with pancreatic cancer, certain subgroups have a higher incidence.

Taking a thorough family history is also important, says Hochster. A patient with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer who develops pancreatic cancer should be tested for a 

 mutation to determine if they could benefit from treatment with olaparib.

Howard S. Hochster, MD, FACP, discusses important takeaways from the randomized, double-blind, phase III POLO trial in pancreatic cancer. 
 

Howard S. Hochster, MD, FACP

Articles

Dr. Hochster on Treatment Considerations for HER2+ Gastric Cancer

Dr. Hochster on Take-Home Message of the POLO Trial in Pancreatic Cancer