Dr. Davidson on the Future of HER2-Targeted Therapies in Breast Cancer

Nancy E. Davidson, MD, 2021 Giants of Cancer Care® award winner in Breast Cancer, senior vice president, director, professor, Clinical Research Division, Raisbeck Endowed Chair for Collaborative Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, president, executive director, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, discusses the future of HER2-targeted therapies in breast cancer.

Based on results from the phase 3 DESTINY-Breast03 trial (NCT03529110), fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) is currently getting the majority of the attention as its role in treatment is determined, Davidson says. However, tucatinib (Tukysa) remains an area of interest to determine how it be applied as an anti-HER2 therapy, Davidson explains.

Research is being conducted to better understand the best role and sequence for each agent, Davidson continues. Therapies that are the most effective and well-tolerated in the metastatic setting could eventually be applied in the early-stage settings, Davidson says. Using these agents in the early stage for patients who are HER2-positive at the time of presentation could allow them to undergo primary therapy and not be troubled by the disease again, Davidson concludes.