Dr. Vidal on the Use of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and medical oncologist, West Cancer Center, discusses the potential use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in HER2-positive breast cancer.

At the 2019 ESMO Congress, Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, presented data from the phase II monarcHER trial with trastuzumab (Herceptin), abemaciclib (Verzenio), and fulvestrant (Faslodex) in women with hormone receptor—positive, HER2-positive breast cancer. The regimen was compared with standard of care trastuzumab and chemotherapy. A third cohort received abemaciclib and trastuzumab without fulvestrant.

The data showed an improvement in progression-free survival and objective response rates with the triplet versus the other options. CDK4/6 inhibitors have shown exceptional responses in the estrogen receptor—positive space, so it is not surprising that they are proving effective in the HER2-positive space as well, concludes Vidal.