Dr. Hamilton on Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Erika P. Hamilton, MD, director, Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses previously reported and anticipated findings from the phase 3 DESTINY-Breast03 trial (NCT03529110), which compared the efficacy of 2 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla), in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who were previously treated with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and a taxane.

DESTINY-Breast03 randomized patients to receive trastuzumab deruxtecan or trastuzumab emtansine, which has been the standard second-line treatment for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, Hamilton says. Progression-free survival (PFS) data from this trial showed a hazard ratio for progression or death from any cause of 0.28, demonstrating that trastuzumab deruxtecan was more effective at prolonging PFS than trastuzumab emtansine, Hamilton emphasizes.

The overall survival data from DESTINY-Breast03 will be presented at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Hamilton notes. While many breast cancer treatment decisions are made based on how long a patient can remain on treatment without disease growth, determining how long a patient can live with metastatic disease is a gold standard, Hamilton explains. So far, trastuzumab deruxtecan has demonstrated benefits in patients with HER2-positive disease, Hamilton concludes.

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