HER2+ Breast Cancer

The first reported data for adjuvant ado-trastuzumab emtansine in early HER2-positive breast cancer showed high rates of disease control in a randomized trial designed to compare toxicities with trastuzumab and paclitaxel.

Margetuximab continued to show a clear progression-free survival benefit and a trend toward an overall survival benefit versus trastuzumab (Herceptin) when either agent was combined with chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who had received prior anti-HER2 therapies.

Adjuvant pertuzumab (Perjeta) with trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus chemotherapy showed a 0.9% improvement in overall survival and continued to reduce the risk of disease recurrence in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer.

Adding tucatinib to trastuzumab (Herceptin) and capecitabine (Xeloda) reduced the risk of death by 34% in heavily pretreated patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd; DS-8201) induced a confirmed objective response rate of almost 61% and a durable benefit in heavily pretreated patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.

Erika P. Hamilton, MD, discusses the results of the phase III KATHERINE trial in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Kurt W. Tauer, MD, FACP, discusses encouraging updates across the spectrum of breast cancer subtypes.

Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, discussed the ways in which currently available and investigational agents are being evaluated in the curative and metastatic settings of HER2-positive breast cancer.

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended approval of trastuzumab emtansine for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who have residual invasive disease (breast and/or lymph nodes) following neoadjuvant taxane-based chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy.

Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, discusses the potential of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Erika P. Hamilton, MD, discussed several studies in the HER2-positive breast cancer space and the sequencing challenges that have emerged.

Keerthi Gogineni, MD, MSHP, discusses the clinical implications of the phase II APT trial in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Ruth O’Regan, MD, discusses the prognostic value of pathologic complete response in HER2-positive breast cancer.

The combination of margetuximab and chemotherapy induced a 1.8-month median overall survival increase in patients with pretreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer compared with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy.

Tucatinib combined with trastuzumab and capecitabine improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared with trastuzumab/capecitabine alone in heavily pretreated patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Douglas K. Marks, MD, discusses investigational antibody–drug conjugates in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Carey Anders, MD, medical director, Brain and Spine Metastasis Program, and medical oncologist, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses sequencing strategies in the setting of HER2-positive breast cancer with brain metastases.

The FDA has granted a priority review designation to a biologics license application for [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201) for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Manali Bhave, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, discusses promising anti-HER2 agents in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Michael Untch, MD, PhD, discusses the primary findings from the phase III KATHERINE trial and the added impact of long-term safety data regarding the use of adjuvant T-DM1 in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer.

Kelly E. Westbrook, MD, discusses combatting tumor heterogeneity in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD, discusses the rationale behind the KATE2 study and the results that may signal clinical significance.

Carey Anders, MD, director, Brain and Spine Metastasis Program, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the use of neratinib (Nerlynx) and capecitabine in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain.

As more becomes known about the biology of HER2-positive early breast cancer, C. Kent Osborne, MD, says that a multipronged strategy is the best approach regarding de-escalating chemotherapy in this patient population.

Clinical guidelines have been necessary to help oncologists stay current in the face of rapidly evolving knowledge in HER2-positive breast cancer.