Neratinib for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: 5-Year Outcomes

The most recent agent to be approved for women with HER2-positive, early-stage breast cancer is the oral, irreversible, pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib. In a prior analysis of the industry-sponsored, international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III ExteNET trial (Lancet Oncol 2016;17:367), neratinib was shown to improve 2-year invasive disease-free survival (DFS) when given for 1 year after standard trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy.

Now, investigators have completed a prespecified 5-year analysis of the ExteNET trial, involving 2840 women with confirmed stage II–IIIc HER2-positive operable breast cancer. Patients had performance status of 0 or 1 and had completed neoadjuvant and adjuvant trastuzumab no lon…