Dr. Sanft on Treatment Options in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Tara Sanft, MD, assistant professor of medicine, medical director of adult survivorship for the Yale Cancer Center Survivorship Clinic, discusses standard treatment options for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Pertuzumab (Perjeta) plus trastuzumab (Herceptin) with chemotherapy is a better treatment option than trastuzumab and chemotherapy alone, explains Sanft. In patients who receive this therapy prior to surgery, oncologists have seen complete pathologic responses.

In the event of disease progression after such treatment, the next step typically includes T-DM1, which Sanft refers to as a kind of "super Herceptin," as it has been shown to be very effective in metastatic HER2-positive disease and very well-tolerated as a second-line agent.