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Beyond safety: rethinking concomitant radiotherapy and trastuzumab deruxtecan in metastatic breast cancer — from feasibility to precision practice
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Beyond safety: rethinking concomitant radiotherapy and trastuzumab deruxtecan in metastatic breast cancer — from feasibility to precision practice

The Breast·August 12Open Access
Obstetrics & GynecologyLimited evidenceHER2-Low Breast CancerMetastatic Breast CancerExpert Opinion / ViewpointAntibody-Drug ConjugateRadiotherapyAdultEnhertuTrastuzumab DeruxtecanTrastuzumab Emtansine

Summary

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What was studied

This viewpoint critiques and extends real-world evidence on the safety of concomitant trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) and radiotherapy (RT) in metastatic breast cancer, arguing for stratified decision-making beyond binary safety assessments across RT intent, site, fractionation, and tumor biology.

Key findings

The authors contend that 'concomitant' is not a sufficient biological concept; radiosensitization risk varies by RT site, fractionation, and payload (distinguishing T-DM1 vs. T-DXd radionecrosis profiles), and three high-priority gaps remain: thoracic irradiation safety, HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, and cardiac vulnerability during combined therapy.

Study limitations

This is an expert viewpoint/commentary — no original patient data, no comparator arm, and no quantitative outcomes are reported. Conclusions are largely opinion-based and derive from critique of a single referenced real-world study.

Clinical implications

Do not treat all concomitant T-DXd + RT combinations as equivalent; stratify decisions by anatomical site, fractionation schedule, and HER2 status. Treat thoracic irradiation and cardiac exposure during combined therapy as priority areas requiring extra caution until prospective data are available.

Caveats

  • HER2-low metastatic breast cancer is discussed as a subgroup of interest but no outcome data specific to this population are presented.
  • No sample size is applicable — the 'largest real-world evidence' cited belongs to the Visani et al. study being critiqued, not this paper.
  • Study design classification as 'Expert Opinion / Viewpoint' is inferred from abstract language; the journal section label is not explicitly stated.
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  • This is a viewpoint/commentary with no original patient data; findings are opinion-based and reference a single real-world study (Visani et al.) not reproduced here.

Related Questions

Explore related topics

What is the safety of combining trastuzumab deruxtecan with brain radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery?How does the risk of radionecrosis differ between T-DM1 and T-DXd when given with radiation?What are the cardiac risks of concurrent HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates and thoracic radiotherapy in metastatic breast cancer?

Publication Details

Year
2026
Journal
The Breast
Source
View article
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