Pier Franco Conte, MD, a full professor of oncology at the University of Padova, Italy; director of the Division of Medical Oncology at the Istituto Oncologico Veneto in Padova; and chairman of Rete Oncologica Veneta, discusses long-term outcomes with 1 year vs 9 weeks of treatment with adjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin) in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer.

In the phase 3 Short-HER trial (NCT00629278), patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer were randomized to receive chemotherapy plus 9 weeks vs 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab; this was an investigator-driven, noninferiority trial, with a margin of noninferiority set at a hazard ratio of less than 1.29.

The trial went against the mainstream strategy of intensifying treatment for this patient population, Conte says. The updated disease-free survival and overall survival data confirm the long-term benefit of the shorter dosing regimen in patients with low and intermediate risk factors.

One year of trastuzumab remains the standard in Western countries. However, the 9-week administration should be considered in countries where access to the agent is limited, according to Conte. Financially, a 9-week treatment course could be a better option globally, as many patients worldwide do not have public or private insurance, Conte concludes.

Videos

Pier Franco Conte, MD, discusses long-term outcomes with 1 year vs 9 weeks of treatment with adjuvant trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer.

Dr. Conte on Outcomes With 1 Year Vs 9 Weeks of Adjuvant Trastuzumab in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Pierfranco Conte, MD, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Istituto Oncologico Veneto, discusses the findings of the OlympiAD trial in 

-mutated HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Patients in the OlympiAD trial were randomized to receive the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) or physician’s choice of chemotherapy. When the study was published a few years ago, the olaparib arm had improved progression-free survival, response rate, and quality of life compared with chemotherapy, explains Conte.

In the updated analysis at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the median overall survival was 19.3 months with olaparib versus 17.1 months with chemotherapy (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.63-1.12). The 4-year OS rates were 18.9% compared with 14.2%, respectively.

View more from 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

Pierfranco Conte, MD, discusses the findings of the OlympiAD trial in BRCA-mutated HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Pierfranco Conte, MD

Articles

Dr. Conte on Outcomes With 1 Year Vs 9 Weeks of Adjuvant Trastuzumab in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Dr. Conte on the OlympiAD Trial in BRCA-Mutated HER2-Negative Breast Cancer