Frances Valdes-Albini, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, discusses ongoing clinical trials of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

The HER2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate DS-8201 (trastuzumab deruxtecan) has demonstrated significant clinical activity in patients with HER2-expressing metastatic breast cancer who have previously received ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla). Valdes-Albini says that DS-8201 looks promising, and may offer an option for patients with low HER2-expressing tumors.

Additionally, Valdes-Albini believes that immunotherapy should be further explored in patients with HER2-postiive breast cancer. There have been some studies, but further clinical trials will be needed to establish the benefit of immunotherapy agents in HER2-positive cancer, Valdes-Albini says.

Anti-HER2 therapy is being explored with signaling pathway inhibitors. Several studies in the advanced setting are ongoing, and a few have closed. Valdes-Albini says that those data are eagerly awaited.

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Frances Valdes-Albini, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, discusses ongoing clinical trials of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.
 

Dr. Valdes-Albini Discusses Trials in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Frances Valdes-Albini, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, discusses the FDA approval of adjuvant pertuzumab (Perjeta) in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

The data on adjuvant pertuzumab were presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. The benefit seemed to be restricted to patients with node-positive disease. Therefore, pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy should be considered as a treatment for patients with node-positive disease and perhaps in patients with hormone receptor-negative disease, states Valdes-Albini.

It will be interesting to see how this plays a role in patients who have received neoadjuvant therapy, says Valdes-Albini. A lot of physicians are offering dual blockade in the neoadjuvant setting, but the study doesn’t address the impact of adjuvant dual blockade in patients who have received neoadjuvant treatment.

Frances Valdes-Albini, MD

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