Dr. Erika P. Hamilton on ONT-380 for HER2+ Breast Cancer

Erika P. Hamilton, MD, Director, Breast Cancer and Gynecologic Cancer Research Program; Principal Investigator, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses ONT-380, a novel HER2-specific inhibitor. Most oral HER2-inhibitors block not only HER2, but other proteins such as EGFR.

These additional proteins can cause toxicities such as rash and diarrhea, says Hamilton. ONT-380 only blocks the HER2, so it tends to be more tolerable, she says. It also crosses the blood-brain barrier. This is important because up to 50% of HER2-positive breast cancer patients experience brain metastasis.