Dr. Esteva Discusses Neratinib Updates in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Francisco J. Esteva, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, New York University’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses updated neratinib (Nerlynx) data in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Updated findings from the ExteNET trial presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting showed that the earlier neratinib therapy is given, the better the results are at 6 to 12 months and 12 to 18 months. Previously, the trial reported an improvement in disease-free survival, particularly in patients with estrogen receptor-positive disease. In a 5-year follow-up, treatment with neratinib reduced the risk of invasive disease recurrence or death by 27% compared with placebo as extended adjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer following 12 months of trastuzumab (Herceptin).

Neratinib was approved in July 2017 for the extended adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer following postoperative trastuzumab. The approval was based on phase III results from the ExteNET trial.