Dr. Grothey on the DESTINY-CRC01 Trial With Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in HER2+ CRC

Axel Grothey, MD, medical oncologist and director of Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at West Cancer Center and Research Institute, discusses the DESTINY-CRC01 trial in patients with HER2-positive colorectal cancer (CRC).

In the DESTINY-CRC01 trial, a population of patients with HER2-overexpressing CRC were treated with fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu), Grothey says. The antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) links the trastuzumab (Herceptin) HER2 antibody with a strong topoisomerase inhibitor as a payload that is then integrated into the cell. The linker between the antibody and topoisomerase cleaves, the cytotoxic agent is released, and the cell dies, resulting in a bystander effect on surrounding cells.

The ADC was examined in a later-line setting in patients who were previously treated with HER2-targeted agents. Regardless of whether patients had previously been pretreated with HER2-targeted agents, trastuzumab deruxtecan elicited significant responses within this patient population, some of which proved to be durable, Grothey concludes.