Dr. Toppmeyer on Sequencing Therapy in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Deborah L. Toppmeyer, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, attending, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, discusses sequencing therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Findings from the phase 3 CLEOPATRA trial (NCT00567190) established the combination of pertuzumab (Perjeta), trastuzumab (Herceptin), and docetaxel as the preferred frontline standard of care for patients with metastatic HER2-positive disease. The regimen demonstrated an overall survival advantage compared with trastuzumab, docetaxel, and placebo.

In addition to evidence-based strategies, patient preference and their extent of disease should be considered when selecting treatment, Toppmeyer explains. Unlike the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings where sequencing strategies are more established, several options may be considered for patients with metastatic HER2-positive disease, allowing treatment to be tailored to an individual’s needs, Toppmeyer says.

Additionally, clinical trials should be considered as an option for eligible patients to further progress the field, Toppmeyer concludes.