Dr. Verma on Advancements in Treatment of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Sunil Verma, MD, department head, Clinical Department of Oncology, Calgary Zone, medical director, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, discusses recent advancements in the field of HER2-positive breast cancer.

One of the key advancements in the field is the understanding that treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer requires ongoing suppression of the HER2 receptor; therefore, an antibody or a tyrosine kinase inhibitor is necessary in the treatment paradigm, Verma explains. Secondly, pertuzumab in the first-line setting has been an important advance, as it demonstrates improvements in progression-free and overall survival. Additionally, T-DM1 can be used in the second-line setting and beyond to show these same benefits.

The median survival for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer exceeds 5 years, Verma says. However, critical issues that still remain include targeting patients with brain metastases and determining duration of therapies.

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