Kathy D. Miller, MD: Hi. I'm Dr Kathy Miller, professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Welcome to Medscape Oncology Insights. We are coming to you today from the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABC).
The introduction of trastuzumab revolutionized treatment for patients with HER2-positive disease. But those early trials set an arbitrary threshold for considering a tumor in a patient to be HER2 positive. Did we pick the right threshold? That was an unknown question and one that the NRG Research Group tackled in their National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-47 trial.[1]
To bring us the results of NSABP B-47, I'm joined today by Dr Charles Geyer. Charles is professor of medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University and associate director of clinical research at the Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Virginia. Welcome, Charles.
Charles E. Geyer Jr, MD : Thank you, Kathy. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about our trial.
Challenges With Diagnostic Tests
Dr Miller: Take us to the background. Why look at trastuzumab in HER2-negative patients?
Dr Geyer:At the time that adjuvant studies were launched, everyone recognized that the real gains would probably come in the early setting, based on the very exciting data that we saw in metastatic disease.
Mastectomy May Not Be Necessary for Young Breast Cancer Patients
New Image-Based Risk Model Helps Predict Future Breast Cancers
Patient Simulation: A 45-Year-Old Woman With High-Risk Early HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer
Patient Simulation: A 63-Year-Old Woman With PIK3CA Breast Cancer and Unilateral Rib Pain
COMMENTARY
For Low-Level HER2 Breast Cancer, Trastuzumab Is a No-Go
'There Is Just No Benefit'
Charles E. Geyer Jr, MD; Kathy D. Miller, MD
DisclosuresDecember 29, 2017
Kathy D. Miller, MD: Hi. I'm Dr Kathy Miller, professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Welcome to Medscape Oncology Insights. We are coming to you today from the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABC).
The introduction of trastuzumab revolutionized treatment for patients with HER2-positive disease. But those early trials set an arbitrary threshold for considering a tumor in a patient to be HER2 positive. Did we pick the right threshold? That was an unknown question and one that the NRG Research Group tackled in their National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-47 trial.[1]
To bring us the results of NSABP B-47, I'm joined today by Dr Charles Geyer. Charles is professor of medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University and associate director of clinical research at the Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Virginia. Welcome, Charles.
Charles E. Geyer Jr, MD : Thank you, Kathy. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about our trial.
Challenges With Diagnostic Tests
Dr Miller: Take us to the background. Why look at trastuzumab in HER2-negative patients?
Dr Geyer:At the time that adjuvant studies were launched, everyone recognized that the real gains would probably come in the early setting, based on the very exciting data that we saw in metastatic disease.
Medscape Oncology © 2017 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: For Low-Level HER2 Breast Cancer, Trastuzumab Is a No-Go - Medscape - Dec 29, 2017.
Tables
References
Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Authors
Charles E. Geyer Jr, MD
Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University; Associate Director of Clinical Research, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, Virginia
Disclosure: Charles E. Geyer Jr, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Received research grant from: Merck & Co.
Served on advisory board for: Heron Therapeutics; Myriad Genetics, Inc.
Kathy D. Miller, MD
Professor of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine; Co-Director, Breast Cancer Program, Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
Disclosure: Kathy D. Miller, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.