Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42830854›Full record

ReviewCancer management and research2026

HER2-Targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Advanced HER2-Low Breast Cancer: Mechanisms, Clinical Efficacy, and Resistance Strategies.

Mengsha Yang, Xiaokun Ding, Peng Ye, Xiaohong Xu

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancer management and research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Mengsha YangZhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310053, People's Republic of China.
Xiaokun DingDepartment of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Sanmen People's Hospital, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Peng YeDepartment of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Sanmen People's Hospital, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Xiaohong XuDepartment of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Globally, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women, with the HER2-low subtype (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-) accounting for approximately 45%-55% of all invasive breast cancer cases. Conventional HER2-targeted therapies are ineffective for this subtype, and treatment has long relied on endocrine therapy or chemotherapy, with a median overall survival of less than 18 months after resistance development. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from clinical trials identified through systematic searches of the PubMed, ASCO, and ESMO databases until December 2025. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine targeted delivery with potent cytotoxicity. The next-generation ADC trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) has achieved a breakthrough in the treatment of HER2-low breast cancer, attributed to its high drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR = 8), robust bystander effect, and non-classical killing mechanisms mediated by the tumor microenvironment. The landmark DESTINY-Breast04 trial provided the first definitive evidence that T-DXd significantly prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The DESTINY-Breast06 study further expanded the population that may benefit to include patients with HER2-ultralow expression and moved treatment to an earlier line, after endocrine therapy failure and before chemotherapy initiation. Chinese ADCs, such as disitamab vedotin (objective response rate [ORR], 33.3%), SHR-A1811, and MRG002, have also shown promising efficacy. However, resistance mechanisms, including target loss, impaired endocytosis, payload efflux, abnormalities in DNA repair, and suppression of the immune microenvironment, are emerging. Combination strategies involving endocrine therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors are expected to overcome resistance and enhance the efficacy of treatment. This review provides a comprehensive overview of ADC development in advanced HER2-low breast cancer, summarizes key clinical data, resistance mechanisms, and combination strategies, and discusses future directions, including biomarker development and optimal treatment sequencing, to guide clinical practice and future research in this area.

Indexed as

advanced breast cancerantibody-drug conjugatecombination therapylow expression of her2mechanisms of drug resistancetrastuzumab deruxtecan

Identifiers

PMID42830854
PMCPMC13634225

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.