Talking HER2-Targeted Therapy With Dr. Marshall

Welcome to a very special series with OncLive! I’m your host today, Caroline Seymour.

OncLive provides oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care. In both digital and print formats, OncLive covers every angle of oncology practice, from new technology to treatment advances to important regulatory decisions.

We had the pleasure of speaking with John L. Marshall, MD, chief in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, professor of medicine and oncology, and director of the Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer at Georgetown-Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, who discussed the evolving treatment landscape of HER2-targeted treatment strategies in colorectal cancer.

Although relatively rare, HER2 is an important target in colorectal cancer for which there are several approved and investigational agents, explained Marshall. Although the optimal HER2-targeted strategy has yet to be defined, antibody-drug conjugates have shown early promise in this subset of patients.

Marshall explained that trastuzumab deruxtecan, which received an accelerated approval from the FDA for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received at least 2 prior anti—HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting, has shown early signals of activity in colorectal cancer.

In order to move the needle forward in colorectal cancer, HER2 testing will be essential, according to Marshall.

Listen on to hear Marshall discuss the necessity of identifying patients with HER2-positive colorectal cancer and the work being done to better elucidate effective targeted treatments for patients.