TALENT: Neoadjuvant T-DXd with or without anastrozole, or in sequence with chemo for HER2-low, HR+ early-stage breast cancer

Prof Sara Hurvitz talks to ecancer about the final results of the phase II TALENT trial, presented at ESMO 2026, evaluating neoadjuvant trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) alone, combined with anastrozole, or followed by chemotherapy in patients with HR-positive, HER2-low early breast cancer.

The study enrolled 132 patients and found low pathological complete response rates across all treatment arms, despite overall response rates of approximately 65–67%.

Exploratory biomarker analyses suggested that higher HER2 expression may be associated with better pathological response, while HER2 levels declined during treatment and TROP2 expression remained relatively stable.

These findings offer insights into the potential role of T-DXd and biomarker-guided treatment strategies in early breast cancer.