Dr. Hurvitz on the Evolution of Targeted Therapies in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, associate professor, the David Geffen School of Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), medical oncologist, medical director, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Clinical Research Unit, co-director, Santa Monica-UCLA Outpatient Oncology Practices, director, Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Program, UCLA, discusses the evolution of targeted therapies in HER2-positive breast cancer.

The expanded development of HER2-targeted agents has led to many changes over the past 5 years in the treatment landscape of HER2-positive breast cancer, according to Hurvitz, who adds there are now 8 HER2-targeted therapies available for this patient population. The availability of these effective systemic therapies has helped improve outcomes for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, Hurvitz adds.

As of 2022, the first-line treatment in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer remains taxane plus trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta), Hurvitz continues. However, this standard of care could be challenged by fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu), which is being investigated in the frontline setting of HER2-positive breast cancer in the phase 3 DESTINY-Breast09 trial (NCT04784715), Hurvitz concludes.