Dr. Durand Discusses Treatment Options for Toxicities from Therapy in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Jean-Bernard Durand, MD, professor in the Department of Cardiology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses advice for community oncologists on managing patients that are experiencing symptoms from treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer.

The most important thing is recognition, says Durand. It is important to always start with a complete history and physical exam. As an oncologist is going through their patient's history and physical exam, they can discuss the risk of hypertension and diabetes and previous structural heart disease with their patients.

According to Durand, one avenue can be to initiate therapies while the patient is in the office, or to refer them to one of their colleagues. Specifically, a specialist in the field of cardio-oncology who can manage all the comorbidities for them. This will limit the amount of time for that portion of treatment, so that the patient can then move onto anticancer therapy.