T-DM1 as a Treatment for Breast Cancer

Edith A. Perez, MD, professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic, discusses the antibody drug conjugate T-DM1 (trastuzumab emtansine; Kadcyla) as a treatment for patients with breast cancer.

Clinical Pearls:

• T-DM1 is a combination of trastuzumab and a chemotherapy agent all in one compound
• Once the drug is injected into the vein, T-DM1 finds the cells that overexpress HER2 and then places the chemotherapy inside the tumor cell
• The results of the MARIANNE trial, which will examine T-DM1 plus pertuzumab, T-DM1 with pertuzumab or placebo, and trastuzumab plus a taxane (docetaxel or paclitaxel) in patients with metastatic breast cancer, could be practice changing