Coordinating Multidisciplinary Care and Enhancing Survivorship in HER2-Targeted Therapy

This segment explores the critical role of multidisciplinary coordination and survivorship planning in optimizing outcomes for patients receiving HER2-targeted therapies. Experts emphasize that the management of metastatic breast cancer now extends far beyond the traditional oncology team of surgeons, medical oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists. Effective care increasingly requires collaboration with cardio-oncologists, pulmonologists, neurologists or neuro-oncologists, ophthalmologists, and other subspecialists to monitor and manage therapy-related toxicities such as cardiotoxicity, ILD, ocular events, and CNS involvement. Dr. Gradishar highlights the importance of proactive communication with these specialists, ensuring they are informed about new drugs and potential adverse effects, and making appropriate referrals when necessary. In academic centers, this coordination is supported by infrastructure and subspecialty focus, whereas community settings face greater challenges, underscoring the need for education and guidance to support clinicians with fewer resources.

The discussion also highlights the value of survivorship programs in addressing long-term patient well-being. Survivorship teams play a pivotal role in monitoring ongoing side effects, evaluating quality of life, and supporting patients’ mental, physical, and social health. Dr. Gadi notes that survivorship care is not limited to cancer centers but can be integrated within primary care and federally qualified health centers, increasing accessibility. Beyond managing residual side effects, survivorship empowers patients by helping them regain autonomy over diet, exercise, and daily routines, thereby improving overall quality of life. Both speakers emphasize that multidisciplinary collaboration, proactive care, and comprehensive survivorship planning are essential to safely implementing HER2-targeted therapies and ensuring that patients achieve the best possible outcomes while maintaining their independence and quality of life.