HOT OFF THE PRESS! 9 weeks of herceptin as good as 52 weeks (Turkish study)

[Lani]

don't seem to be able to access the whole article yet, but thought you would like to know to be on the alert!

Median followup was only 30 months



J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2012 Aug 10. [Epub ahead of print]
Nine-week trastuzumab treatment versus 52-week trastuzumab treatment for HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer.
Tonyali O, Coskun U, Sener N, Inanc M, Akman T, Oksuzoglu B, Ozdemir NY, Yazilitas D, Benekli M, Uner A, Yamac D, Demirci U, Yildiz R, Karaca H, Unal OU, Bal O, Gumus M, Buyukberber S; Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology (ASMO).
Source
Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, 06500, Besevler, Cankaya, Ankara, Turkey, tonyalionder@yahoo.com.
Abstract
PURPOSES:
Trastuzumab is known to be effective for early and advanced stages of breast cancer but optimal duration for early-stage breast cancer (EBC) is not well known. We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of 9- and 52-week trastuzumab therapy for EBC retrospectively.
METHODS:
In this multicenter study, the medical records of all patients with EBC were analyzed in 8 centers retrospectively. Totally consecutive, 479 female patients who received trastuzumab in the adjuvant treatment were evaluated for disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), efficacy, and toxicity.
RESULTS:
There were 181 (37.8 %) and 298 (62.2 %) patients in the 9- and 52-week trastuzumab groups, respectively. Median follow-up was 30.6 months (5.7-68.9) in the 9-week trastuzumab group and 29.3 months (5.9-59.6) in the 52-week trastuzumab group. Thirty-six month DFS was 90 and 85 % (P = 0.132) in the 9- and 52-week trastuzumab treatment groups, respectively, and 36-month OS was 96 and 97 % in the 9- and 52-week trastuzumab groups, respectively (P = 0.779). Symptomatic cardiotoxicity was observed in 1 (0.6 %) patient in the 9-week trastuzumab group and in 4 (1.3 %) patients in the 52-week trastuzumab group.
CONCLUSIONS:
In this study, similar outcomes were found in the 9- and 52-week trastuzumab treatment groups.
PMID: 22878681