ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Breast Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1527990
Real-world treatment patterns and outcomes among patients with HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer in China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Medical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- 2Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
- 3Department of Breast oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, China
- 4Department of Breast Medicine 1, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang,, China
- 5Department of Breast Cancer Internal Medicine, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- 6Daiichi Sankyo (China) Holdings Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Breast cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and the leading cause of cancer mortality in women worldwide. In past few years, antihuman epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) therapy for metastatic breast cancer (mBC) has rapidly altered in China. This study aimed to describe treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer in the real-world setting. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective analysis evaluated the treatment patterns and the efficacy in newly diagnosed HER2+ mBC patients between Jan 1, 2020 and Aug 31, 2022. Electronic medical records from 5 cancer centers in China were used. Results: Among 865 patients, the most common first-line (1L) treatment regimen was dual anti-HER2 blockade monoclonal antibody-based therapy (Dual anti-HER2 mAB: 36.07%), followed by single anti-HER2 blockade mAB-based therapy (Single anti-HER2 mAB: 21.97%) and single Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-based therapy (Single TKI: 19.19%). In the second-line (2L), the primary treatment was single TKI regimen (35.45%), followed by TKI+anti-HER2 blockade mAB-based therapy (TKI+anti-HER2 mAB: 16.36%) and single anti-HER2 mAB (15.15%). De novo mBC at initial diagnosis, recurrence post 6 months of (neo)adjuvant treatment, absence of brain metastasis, and younger age, were associated with the choice of dual anti-HER2 mAB regimen in 1L treatment. Conversely, patients receiving anti-HER2 therapy in (neo)adjuvant setting, having brain metastasis, and experiencing a recurrence within 6 months were more likely to receive TKI-based regimen. The median rwPFS of 1L and 2L treatment declined sequentially, with values of 11.04 [95% confidence interval (CI) 10.19-12.03] months and 7.59 (95% CI 6.21-9.20) months, respectively. Longer disease-free interval (DFI) and the choice of dual-anti HER2 regimen in 1L treatment were associated with longer rwPFS. Conclusion: The results of this study provide valuable real-world insight into HER2 positive mBC treatment trends and clinical outcomes, informing subsequent patient management.
Keywords: metastatic breast cancer, HER2 overexpression, treatment pattern, effectiveness, Real-world study
Received: 14 Nov 2024; Accepted: 14 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Huang, Chen, Song, Tong, Sun, Wang, Liu and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shusen Wang, Department of Medical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.