2024 ASCO Highlights: Focus on HER2+ Breast Cancer (Part 2)

Drs. Claudine Isaacs and Filipa Lynce continue their discussion on the highlights of ASCO 2024 Annual Meeting, with a focus on HER2+ breast cancer. In part two of the discussion, the focus is on two studies pertaining to HER2-positive breast cancer. The first study, the GBCRG-M06 Emerald Study compared the effectiveness and toxicity of eribulin mesylate versus a taxane (with trastuzumab and pertuzumab) in a first-line treatment setting. The study, involving approximately 450 patients, found similar progression-free survival (PFS) between the taxane backbone (13 months) and the eribulin backbone (14 months). However, there was slightly more peripheral neuropathy observed with eribulin. The second study discussed is the Patricia study (cohort C) investigating the use of CDK4-6 inhibitors combined with trastuzumab and endocrine therapy in ER-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer patients who had progressed on prior HER2-targeted therapies. The study indicated an improved PFS with the introduction of CDK4-6 inhibitors (9 months) compared to the control arm (7.5 months). The discussion also anticipates the results of the ongoing PATINA study, which looks to determine whether adding CDK4-6 inhibitors during maintenance therapy will benefit patients with advanced ER-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer.