OnCo
peoplePerson

Dennis J. Slamon

Linked HER2 amplification to aggressive breast cancer and drove trastuzumab and later palbociclib to approval.

Medical oncologist whose 1987 Science paper tied HER2 amplification to poor prognosis and who led the clinical development of trastuzumab. Later led palbociclib development and the NATALEE adjuvant ribociclib trial.

Role
Director, Clinical/Translational Research, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; Chief, Division of Hematology-Oncology
Specialisms
Breast cancerHER2CDK4/6 inhibitors

Papers

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TitleJournalYear
Human breast cancer: correlation of relapse and survival with amplification of the HER-2/neu oncogeneScience1987
Use of chemotherapy plus a monoclonal antibody against HER2 for metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses HER2New England Journal of Medicine2001

Key papers

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rctNew England Journal of Medicine 2024changed practice
NATALEE: three years of ribociclib after surgery in a broad population of hormone-receptor-positive early breast cancer

Ribociclib is a second adjuvant CDK4/6 option, and the only one with data in node-negative stage II disease. Roughly 3 in 100 patients avoid a relapse or death at three years, so the decision depends heavily on individual risk, tolerance of a three-year oral drug, and cost. Whether the benefit persists after treatment ends, as it did with abemaciclib, needs longer follow-up.

Connected

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cancers

2
HER2-positive breast cancerHR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer

targets

2
CDK4/6HER2

drugs

3
ApprovedSmall-molecule CDK4/6 inhibitor
Palbociclib · Ibrance
ApprovedSmall-molecule CDK4/6 inhibitor
Ribociclib · Kisqali
ApprovedMonoclonal antibody (anti-HER2)
Trastuzumab · Herceptin (and biosimilars, Phesgo with pertuzumab)

institutions

1
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

trials

1
NATALEE

people

1
Barbara Bradfield

key papers

1
NATALEE: three years of ribociclib after surgery in a broad population of hormone-receptor-positive early breast cancer