Dr. Kalinsky on the Potential of ADCs Across Breast Cancer Subtypes

Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, director of the Glenn Family Breast Center and Breast Medical Oncology at Winship Cancer Institute, and acting associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, discusses the potential of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) across breast cancer subtypes.

ADCs have been an important therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, Kalinsky says. For example, trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) has shown benefit in those with metastatic HER2-positive disease, as well as those with residual disease. These agents are beginning to be considered in other disease subtypes, Kalinsky says.

One such ADC is sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy), which was approved by the FDA in April 2020 for use in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who have received at least 2 prior therapies for metastatic disease. Additionally, the agent is currently being evaluated in patients with hormone receptor–positive and HER2-negative disease.

Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) is another option that was approved by the FDA in December 2019 for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive disease. Early data have suggested that this agent may have a role in patients with HER2-low disease, as response rates have indicated beneficial activity, Kalinsky concludes.