ESMO 2021 | Advances in treatments for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

Cristina Saura Manich, MD, PhD, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain, outlines how current treatments for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer will change in the future. The DESTINY-Breast03 study (NCT03529110) demonstrated a significant benefit for patients with HER-2 positive metastatic disease treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) over patients treated with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). The approval of T-Dxd for this patient population will change clinical practice. In addition, novel agents including margetuximab and new antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) will soon be approved and added to the current treatment strategies consisting of combinations of chemotherapy, trastuzumab, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Dr Saura Manich emphasizes the need to investigate mechanisms of resistance to these drugs and explore the best sequencing strategies. This interview took place at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2021 congress.