Barbara2
03-09-2011, 07:19 AM
http://www.cancernetwork.com/practice/content/article/10165/1816904
Overall, the study shows that Herceptin is efficacious as an adjuvant treatment. Nevertheless, the result that extending the period between chemotherapy and the start of Herceptin to 1 to 3 years has a benefit for early breast cancer patients will need to be followed up with a controlled, randomized clinical trial. The optimal Herceptin duration of treatment is still not known and is the subject of ongoing clinical trials. Furthermore, as the author of the accompanying editorial mention, a 4-year follow up is still quite short for an adjuvant trial and it may still play out that concurrent chemotherapy and Herceptin treatment is a more effective strategy that chemotherapy followed by Herceptin in an adjuvant setting.
Overall, the study shows that Herceptin is efficacious as an adjuvant treatment. Nevertheless, the result that extending the period between chemotherapy and the start of Herceptin to 1 to 3 years has a benefit for early breast cancer patients will need to be followed up with a controlled, randomized clinical trial. The optimal Herceptin duration of treatment is still not known and is the subject of ongoing clinical trials. Furthermore, as the author of the accompanying editorial mention, a 4-year follow up is still quite short for an adjuvant trial and it may still play out that concurrent chemotherapy and Herceptin treatment is a more effective strategy that chemotherapy followed by Herceptin in an adjuvant setting.