OnCo
peoplePerson

Gunter von Minckwitz

Founded the German Breast Group and led KATHERINE, which made T-DM1 standard after residual disease.

Gunter von Minckwitz founded the GBG, led the GeparTrio and GeparQuinto neoadjuvant trials, and was principal investigator of KATHERINE (adjuvant T-DM1 for residual HER2-positive disease).

Role
Founder and former Chair, German Breast Group
Specialisms
Breast cancerNeoadjuvant chemotherapyResidual disease
Profiles

Papers

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TitleJournalYear
Trastuzumab emtansine for residual invasive HER2-positive breast cancer (KATHERINE)NEJM2019

Key papers

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rctNew England Journal of Medicine 2019changed practice
KATHERINE: switching to T-DM1 when HER2-positive breast cancer survives pre-surgery treatment

HER2-positive breast cancer is now routinely treated before surgery so that the pathology result can guide what comes after: patients with no residual cancer continue trastuzumab (with or without pertuzumab), while those with residual disease switch to T-DM1. This model of using the tumour's response as a test has since been copied in triple-negative and other cancers.

Connected

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cancers

1
HER2-positive breast cancer

drugs

1
ApprovedADC
Trastuzumab emtansine · Kadcyla

institutions

1
German Breast Group (GBG)

trials

1
KATHERINE

key papers

1
KATHERINE: switching to T-DM1 when HER2-positive breast cancer survives pre-surgery treatment