Dr. Pegram on Considerations for Treatment Selection in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Mark D. Pegram, MD, Suzy Yuan-Huey Hung Endowed Professor of Medical Oncology, associate dean for clinical research quality, Stanford University School of Medicine, associate director of clinical research, Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Institute, medical director, Stanford Clinical Translational Research Unit, Stanford Medicine, discusses considerations for treatment selection in HER2-positive breast cancer. 

Toxicity is a deciding factor for treatment selection of HER2-directed targeted therapy in patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, Pegram says. 

Moreover, at several timepoints of treatment initiation in HER2-positive disease, patients may be eligible for more than one therapeutic option, Pegram explains. Therefore, treatment considerations should not be made solely based on efficacy, but rather by the therapeutic index, or efficacy divided by toxicity, Pegram says.

Ultimately, treatment selection should be optimized to maximize both quality and quantity of life, Pegram concludes.