To stop or not to stop? International physician survey on HER2 targeted therapy for metastatic breast cancer patients in remission

@article{lee2026stop,
  title = {{To stop or not to stop? International physician survey on HER2 targeted therapy for metastatic breast cancer patients in remission}},
  author = {Han Yi Lee and Whee Sze Ong and Vivianne Tjan-Heijnen and Matteo Lambertini and Yen Shen Lu and Kyong Hwa Park and Yasuaki Sagara and Maria Vidal and Ander Urruticoechea and Mafalda Oliveira and Eva Ciruelos and Nicholas Zdenkowski and Philippe L. Bedard and Michail Ignatiadis and Soo Chin Lee and Joohyuk Sohn and Khalil Zaman and Gustavo Werutsky and Giuseppe Curigliano and Seamus O'Reilly and Janice Tsang and Sung-Bae Kim and Shigehira Saji and Shinji Ohno and Virginie Adam and Amal Arahmani and Carmela Caballero and Yoon Sim Yap},
  journal = {The Breast : Official Journal of the European Society of Mastology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1016/j.breast.2026.104935},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.breast.2026.104935},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - To stop or not to stop? International physician survey on HER2 targeted therapy for metastatic breast cancer patients in remission
AU  - Han Yi Lee
AU  - Whee Sze Ong
AU  - Vivianne Tjan-Heijnen
AU  - Matteo Lambertini
AU  - Yen Shen Lu
AU  - Kyong Hwa Park
AU  - Yasuaki Sagara
AU  - Maria Vidal
AU  - Ander Urruticoechea
AU  - Mafalda Oliveira
AU  - Eva Ciruelos
AU  - Nicholas Zdenkowski
AU  - Philippe L. Bedard
AU  - Michail Ignatiadis
AU  - Soo Chin Lee
AU  - Joohyuk Sohn
AU  - Khalil Zaman
AU  - Gustavo Werutsky
AU  - Giuseppe Curigliano
AU  - Seamus O'Reilly
AU  - Janice Tsang
AU  - Sung-Bae Kim
AU  - Shigehira Saji
AU  - Shinji Ohno
AU  - Virginie Adam
AU  - Amal Arahmani
AU  - Carmela Caballero
AU  - Yoon Sim Yap
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
JO  - The Breast : Official Journal of the European Society of Mastology
DO  - 10.1016/j.breast.2026.104935
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.breast.2026.104935
AB  - Introduction: HER2-targeted therapy (HER2-TT) has improved outcomes in HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with increasing numbers of long-term survivors in complete response (CR). Little is known about discontinuing maintenance HER2-TT in these patients.  Methods: An online survey of physicians was conducted via the Breast International Group (BIG) network between 30 October 2024 and 1 January 2025 to gather insights on HER2-TT use.  Results: A total of 237 physicians from 197 institutions in 38 countries answered the questionnaire. Most reported full access to trastuzumab (88.6%) and pertuzumab (80.6%). While 23.6% of physicians estimated that ≥30% of their HER2+ MBC patients diagnosed over the past decade are still alive >5 years post diagnosis, 86.1% reported that <25% of patients with no evidence of disease after treatment have discontinued HER2-TT. About 59.5% believed that HER2+ MBC can be cured, while 21.9% were unsure, and 18.6% believed that it cannot be cured. Less than half (43.9%) felt that maintenance HER2-TT could be stopped in patients in CR for prolonged period; 49.8% selected “maybe”. Opinions on timing of discontinuation after achieving CR were split: 21.1% favoured stopping after 1–<3 years, 25.3% after 3–<5 years and 40.5% after ≥5 years. Patient's choice was the most important factor in the decision making for discontinuing HER2-TT for 43.0% of physicians, followed by safety (31.6%) and physician's recommendation (15.2%).  Conclusions: Although majority of physicians believed that HER2+ MBC can be cured, most do not discontinue maintenance HER2-TT. Further data on outcomes after treatment cessation are needed to inform evidence-based optimization strategies.
SN  - 0960-9776
SN  - 1532-3080
ER  -