Novel HER2-Directed Treatments in Advanced Gastric Carcinoma: AnotHER Paradigm Shift?

Abstract

Simple SummaryMore than ten years after the first publication of the results of the ToGA phase III trial, active research avenues are exploring the role of novel agents targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Preliminary reports have highlighted promising activity for several therapeutics, including the recently approved trastuzumab deruxtecan in pretreated GC patients. Herein, we discuss novel therapeutic opportunities in this setting.Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed and/or amplified in approximately 15–20% of gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) patients. In 2010, the landmark ToGA trial established the combination of trastuzumab plus chemotherapy as the first-line standard of care for HER2-positive GC patients with advanced disease. However, subsequent studies on HER2 targeted therapies in this setting failed to meet their primary endpoints, and not all HER2-positive GC patients benefit from targeted approaches. More recently, novel HER2-directed treatments have been investigated, including trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-Dxd); following the results of the DESTINY-Gastric01 study, T-Dxd received its first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on 15 January 2021 for the treatment of adults with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic GC who have received a prior trastuzumab-based regimen. In this review, we discuss the current HER2-targeted treatments for GC in the advanced disease setting, mainly focusing on emerging new treatments and future research directions.