Stephen C. Malamud, MD, associate professor, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, discusses key data from the KATHERINE study in the treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

The goal of the phase III trial, which was presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, was to evaluate the role of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla) against the gold standard trastuzumab (Herceptin) in patients who had residual disease following neoadjuvant therapy with a HER2-targeted agent. The results were a “runaway,” in favor of T-DM1, Malamud says, in terms of invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) and delaying local and distant recurrences. The antibody-drug conjugate also demonstrated a toxicity profile that can easily be managed.

Three-year iDFS rates were 88.3% with T-DM1 compared with 77% with trastuzumab. Data show that T-DM1 was also associated with a 50% reduction in the risk of invasive disease recurrence or death.

With these data, the field should see a definitive change in the standard of care for patients who do not achieve a pathologic complete response after surgery, Malamud concludes.

Stephen C. Malamud, MD

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Dr. Malamud on Key Data From KATHERINE Study in HER2+ Breast Cancer