Dr. Jones on the Risk of Interstitial Lung Disease With Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in CRC

Jeremy C. Jones, MD, hematologist/oncologist, Mayo Clinic, discusses the risk of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Initial findings from the phase 2 DESTINY-CRC01 trial demonstrated a 45.3% confirmed objective response rate with trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with HER2-positive metastatic CRC. Regarding safety, 6% (n = 5) of patients developed ILD; 2 of these cases were grade 5.

As such, close monitoring for ILD is required when using trastuzumab deruxtecan for patients with CRC. Moreover, early intervention with steroids could mitigate the toxicity, Jones explains. In gastrointestinal cancers, ILD is not a common adverse effect associated with available therapies, Jones says. However, the promising efficacy observed with trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2-positive CRC will likely outweigh the ILD-associated risks of the agent, concludes Jones.