Dr. Gralow Discusses the Antibody Drug Conjugate T-DM1

Julie R. Gralow, MD, Director, Breast Medical Oncology, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), discusses the antibody-drug conjugate T-DM1 that covalently links the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab with the cytotoxic drug emtansine (DM1) for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Gralow describes T-DM1 as a very smart and exciting new drug that is able to deliver chemotherapy effectively with minimal side effects, since the bulk of the chemotherapy is delivered directly to the cancer cell. The positive data from the phase III EMILIA trial acts as a proof of principle not only for T-DM1 but also for antibody drug conjugates as a whole.

Gralow is very excited about the concept of antibody drug conjugates — specifically the efficacy of T-DM1 in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.