Dr. Tripathy Discusses Impact of T-DM1 in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Debu Tripathy, MD, professor and chairman, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the impact of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla) in HER2-positive breast cancer.

The results from the KATHERINE trial presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium are notable because they essentially impact practice immediately, says Tripathy. Treatment with T-DM1 nearly halved the number of recurrences in patients who had residual disease from standard neoadjuvant therapy. Although some patients had to come off therapy early due to adverse events, T-DM1 seemed to be well-tolerated overall, Tripathy adds.

Results from the phase III trial showed that the 3-year invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) rate was 88.3% with T-DM1 versus 77.0% with trastuzumab. The iDFS benefit with T-DM1 was upheld across key patient subgroups, according to data published in the New England Journal of Medicine.