Dr. Ellis on Immunotherapy in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Matthew J. Ellis, MD, PhD, professor of oncology and medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, discusses developments with immunotherapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Ellis is interested to know where immunotherapy will develop for patients with HER2-positive disease. The ExteNET studies are using maintenance neratinib (Nerlynx) for 1 year to prevent relapse.

According to Ellis, the results of the APHINITY trial investigating pertuzumab (Perjeta) were contradictory to data in the adjuvant setting. However, the FDA has approved pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer at high risk for recurrence.

In the phase III APHINITY trial, adjuvant treatment with pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy demonstrated a 3-year invasive disease-free survival rate of 94.1% versus 93.2% for those who received trastuzumab plus chemotherapy and placebo. This represented an 18% reduction in the risk of developing invasive disease or death (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67-1.00, P = .047).