Novel Strategies for Treatment of Early Breast Cancer, Part I

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The HER2 biology lends itself to several novel strategies for treating early breast cancer. Debu Triapthy, MD, believes that the dual kinase inhibitor lapatinib seems to be at the forefront of improvements in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer and holds a great deal of potential.

Joyce A. O’Shaughnessy, MD, is encouraged by the results observed in the NeoALTTO trial that examined the neoadjuvant administration of paclitaxel plus lapatinib with or without trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer. This trial demonstrated favorable results for the combination of paclitaxel, lapatinib, and trastuzumab, as measured by pathological complete response at the time of surgery. The combination also appeared to be particularly effective in patients with estrogen receptor negative breast cancer.

Linda T. Vahdat, MD, adds that the AFFINITY trial that is examining chemotherapy and trastuzumab with or without pertuzumab for patients with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer holds potential, since the combination has demonstrated efficacy in the metastatic setting. Vahdat is optimistic that the combination will lead to improved outcomes in the early-stage setting.

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