Dr. Kruse on How to Converse About Biosimilars in Breast Cancer

Megan Kruse, MD, associate staff of breast medical oncology, Cleveland Clinic, discusses how to converse with patients with breast cancer about implementing biosimilars in treatment.

The use of biosimilars in breast cancer will continue to expand over the next few years, explains Kruse. There are many benefits to having a few treatment options that may have different costs or administration schedules but the same efficacy as the original drugs, says Kruse.

However, there are challenges with talking to patients about biosimilars because many of them want the original drugs that are known to be effective in very large studies which are associated with clinical benefit, according to Kruse. The concept of biosimilars is difficult to explain to patients; however, when biosimilars are compared with other medications, not necessarily used in oncology medicine, then they become more appealing. In the short term, physicians are learning how to implement these changes in clinical practice and how to standardize use in large hospital systems, concludes Kruse.