Dr. Marshall on Key Data from the DESTINY-Gastric02 Trial in HER2+ Gastric Cancer

John L. Marshall, MD, chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, professor, Medicine and Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Director, Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer, discusses key findings from the phase 2 DESTINY-Gastric02 trial (NCT04014075) examining fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) in patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer.

The antibody-drug conjugate elicited a significant response rate of 38% in this patient population; this included several complete responses, according to Marshall. This is significant because HER2 targeting after first-line therapy in gastric cancer has not previously proven to be successful, Marshall explains.

Furthermore, the high response rate observed in subsequent lines therapy suggest that the agent is a potent HER2-targeted treatment, Marshall adds. The data further emphasize the need for adequate molecular profiling for patients with gastric cancer, so that HER2 status can be confirmed, and appropriate treatments can then be administered, Marshall concludes.