Dr. Esteva on Therapeutic Developments in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Francisco Javier Esteva, MD, PhD, chief, Breast Medical Oncology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, discusses therapeutic developments for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Historically, patients with HER2-positive breast cancer have poor prognoses, according to Esteva. With the development of drugs such as trastuzumab (Herceptin), pertuzumab (Perjeta), neratinib (Nerlynx), and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla), these patients now have significantly improved outcomes. However, it is important to understand how to sequence and combine these agents to derive the most benefit, Esteva says.

Incorporating neoadjuvant therapy into the treatment plan is important for patients with high-risk, early-stage breast cancer, Esteva explains. Once patients who do not achieve a pathologic complete response to this approach are identified, additional therapies can be used to improve outcomes, Esteva concludes.