Debu Tripathy, MD, co-leader, Women's Cancer Program, University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses recent updates in the field of HER2+ breast cancer.
Debu Tripathy, MD, co-leader, Women's Cancer Program, University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses recent updates in the field of HER2+ breast cancer.
Clinical Pearls:
There have been advances in HER2+ breast cancer within the past few years
HER2+ breast caner used to be one of the worst breast cancers to have, but today it is considered to be a “favorable” type of cancer to have
The risk of recurrence with early-stage HER2+ breast cancer is low, but advanced HER2+ breast cancer cannot be cured because patients ultimately become resistant to therapy
The HER2 signaling pathway has variations in it from cancer cell to cancer cell that can make the signaling pathway impeded
Pertuzumab, when combination with trastuzumab, binds to a different part of the HER2 receptor
This combination, along with chemotherapy, can reduce the amount of recurrences over time
Although progression-free survival is improved with this combination, patients ultimately become resistant
