Dr. Park on the Benefit of Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Yeon Hee Park, MD, professor, Breast Cancer Center, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, discusses the utility and benefit of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, specifically in patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases.

The space of HER2 metastatic breast cancer already has many active, HER2-directed drugs; however, patients die from disease progression, says Park. The phase 2 DESTINY-Breast01 trial showed that trastuzumab deruxtecan may prolong and improve overall survival (OS) in this patient population.

HER2-positive breast cancer also has a high aphinity for CNS metastases. Trastuzumab deruxtecan has shown potential to control the CNS metastases that develop in these patients. In a subgroup analysis of the DESTINY-Breast01 trial, clinical responses were reported in patients with CNS metastases. Overall, with extended follow-up, physicians may find that the drug may improve the CNS metastases in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, concludes Park.