Dr. Jerusalem on Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Guy Jerusalem, MD, PhD, professor of oncology, Liège University, head of Medical Oncology, and director of the breast clinic, University Hospital of Liège, discusses the utility of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu; DS-8201) in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan is a novel antibody-drug conjugate consisting of a HER2-directed monoclonal antibody and a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload, says Jerusalem.

The phase 2 DESTINY-Breast01 trial demonstrated an objective response rate of 60.3% including a 4.3% complete response rate and a 56% partial response rate in patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, says Jerusalem.

Moreover, these patients were heavily pretreated, having received multiple prior lines of therapy, explains Jerusalem.

As such, on December 20, 2019, trastuzumab deruxtecan was granted an accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received 2 or more prior anti—HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting.