With the release of data from studies such as DESTINY-Breast09 (DB-09), antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are gaining increasing prominence in the first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, while the traditional THP regimen (trastuzumab + pertuzumab + taxane) remains firmly established as the guideline-preferred standard, the question remains: has the “era of ADC dominance” truly begun? During the “Deep Dive” session at the 8th North–South Breast Cancer Forum, Professor Leiping Wang from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center addressed this question. She emphasized that although ADCs have opened the door to first-line therapy with impressive progression-free survival (PFS) benefits, their full integration into clinical practice still requires further validation, particularly in the context of refined disease management and treatment sequencing.

In the era of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an important clinical question has emerged: is platinum still indispensable? During the “Deep Dive” session at the 8th North–South Breast Cancer Forum, Professor Jia Wang from Zhongshan Hospital, Dalian University presented an in-depth analysis of this issue. Drawing on treatment goals, mechanistic rationale, clinical evidence, and individualized strategies, she systematically reviewed the role and challenges of platinum agents in neoadjuvant immunotherapy for TNBC and proposed future directions toward precision “de-escalation” therapy.

On March 16, 2026, the long-term follow-up results of the randomized, double-blind, multicenter Phase III PHILA study were published online in The BMJ. The corresponding author is Academician Binghe Xu from the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, with Professor Fei Ma (Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences) and Professor Min Yan (Henan Cancer Hospital) as co–first authors. With a median follow-up of 45.5 months, the study demonstrated that first-line treatment with pyrotinib in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel significantly improved overall survival (OS) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, reducing the risk of death by 26%. These findings establish a dual-targeted regimen that reflects a distinct “China-developed strategy” for first-line treatment in this population.