Dr. Marshall on the Emergence of Novel HER2-Targeted Agents in CRC

John L. Marshall, MD, chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and a professor of Medicine and Oncology at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as director of the Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer, discusses the emergence of novel HER2-targeted therapies for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

New therapies are generating excitement for patients with HER2-positive CRC due to the efficacy they have shown compared with older standards of care, such as the combination of trastuzumab (Herceptin) and lapatinib (Tykerb), according to Marshall. In January 2021, the FDA approved fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) for use in patients with locally advanced, or metastatic HER2-positive gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer. The hope is that this agent might eventually be indicated for other HER2-positive tumors in this space, as well, says Marshall.

The benefit of some of the emerging HER2-targeted agents is that they may show efficacy in patients with lower levels of HER2 expression, adds Marshall; this could expand the number of patients who could be candidates for HER2-targeted approaches, which is an exciting prospect, Marshall concludes.