Clinical Challenges: Sequencing in Metastatic, HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
In the last few years there has been tremendous progress in the treatment of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. “We are getting a lot of therapeutic options coming into this space,” said Shridar Ganesan, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. “Trastuzumab [Herceptin] was the first, but we now have a […]
Pembrolizumab in First-Line Boosts PFS in HER2-Positive Stomach Cancer
MADRID — Including pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in the first-line treatment of metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal cancer improved progression-free survival (PFS), but potential harm was seen in PD-L1-negative patients, the randomized KEYNOTE-811 trial showed. In patients receiving standard chemotherapy plus trastuzumab, median PFS improved from 8.1 months with placebo to 10.0 months with pembrolizumab (HR 0.73, […]
Chemo-Free Approach Works in Subset of Patients With HER2+ Early Breast Cancer
CHICAGO — An “adaptive response” treatment strategy identified a subset of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who benefited from a chemotherapy-free treatment plan, according to the phase II PHERGain trial. The strategy is based on evaluating an early response to a dual HER2 blockade with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) with 18F-FDG PET imaging […]
Another Possible Option for HER2-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
More than half of patients with treatment-refractory HER2-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) responded to an anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugate, data from a preliminary trial showed. Fifty of 91 patients responded to trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) and another 34 patients had stable disease, resulting in a disease control rate exceeding 90%. Responses were durable in many cases, […]