Dr. Rugo on Ongoing Trials in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Hope Rugo, MD, professor of medicine, director of the Breast Oncology Clinical Trials Program, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses ongoing trials for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Physicians are looking to move neratinib (Nerlynx) earlier in the adjuvant course to manage diarrhea with a novel agent, explains Rugo. The FDA approved neratinib in the adjuvant setting in July 2017.

In the metastatic setting, oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are also showing interest. Additionally, there is a novel antibody called margetuximab (MGAH22-10) currently being investigated in the phase III SOPHIA trial. This showed responses in phase I studies for patients who had disease resistance to trastuzumab (Herceptin). There are a number of different agents that seem to have potential in the future, explains Rugo.

SOPHIA is randomizing patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who had prior anti-HER2 targeted treatment to receive margetuximab or trastuzumab with physician's choice of chemotherapy.