Ovarian Function Suppression Improves Survival in Premenopausal Women with HR+, HER2+ Breast Cancer

An exploratory analysis of the HERceptin Adjuvant (HERA; NCT00045032) trial investigated the benefits of ovarian function suppression in premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and HER2+ breast cancer. Previous research showed ovarian function suppression helps in HR+ breast cancer, but its effectiveness in HR+/HER2+ was unclear.

Researchers analyzed data from the HERA trial involving premenopausal women with HR+/HER2+ breast cancer treated with chemotherapy, HER2-targeted therapy, and hormonal therapy (either tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor). They looked at whether adding ovarian function suppression to hormonal therapy improved survival rates.

Adding ovarian function suppression significantly improved both disease-free survival and overall survival at 10 years compared to just hormonal therapy. Furthermore, using an aromatase inhibitor with ovarian suppression showed even better results than using tamoxifen.

This study suggests that ovarian function suppression should be considered as part of treatment for premenopausal women with HR+/HER2+ breast cancer receiving chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy. While aromatase inhibitors seem more beneficial than tamoxifen with ovarian suppression, further research is needed to confirm the best hormonal therapy choice in this specific group.

Here, Sun Gwe Ahn, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery at Gangnam Severance Hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea, discusses the rationale of the trial at the 2024 ESMO Congress.