
Opinion|Videos|April 30, 2025
Clinical Insights Into Treatment Approach for Metastatic HER+ mBC Patient Case
Panelists discuss how they approach treatment sequencing for HER2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) after progression on first-line therapy, including considerations for trastuzumab deruxtecan and the impressive results from the PATINA trial adding CDK4/6 inhibitors to maintenance therapy.
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Episodes in this series

Clinical Brief: Emerging Options for HER2+ mBC
Key Themes:
- Efficacy of Second-Line T-DXd: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is becoming standard in the second-line setting, supported by National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines
- PATINA Trial Results: Adding palbociclib to trastuzumab/pertuzumab/AI maintenance therapy significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) (44 vs 29 months) in hormone receptor (HR)+/HER2+ disease
- Biological Heterogeneity: Recognition that HR+, HER2+ disease differs biologically from HR-negative (HR–) disease
Key Points for Physicians:
- T-DXd is emerging as the preferred second-line therapy for HER2+ mBC
- The PATINA trial data demonstrate significant PFS benefit with the addition of CDK4/6 inhibition to maintenance therapy in HR+/HER2+ disease
- Insurance coverage for palbociclib in this setting remains challenging until formal guideline inclusion
Notable Insights:
- Approximately 50% of triple-positive (ER+/PR+/HER2+) tumors display luminal characteristics, which may influence treatment response
- The 15-month improvement in PFS with palbociclib addition in the PATINA trial was described as “shocking in the most wonderful way”
- DESTINY-Breast03 data showed impressive efficacy of T-DXd, with 76% of patients still on therapy at 12 months vs 34% with T-DM1
Clinical Significance:
The treatment landscape for HER2+ mBC is rapidly evolving, with emerging data supporting differentiated approaches for HR+ vs HR– disease and promising results for novel combination strategies that may further improve outcomes.
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