latest on prognosis of brain mets in her2+ breast cancer patients
 

: Ann Oncol. 2008 Mar 11 [Epub ahead of print]

Defining prognosis for women with breast cancer and CNS metastases by HER2 status.

Dawood S, Broglio K, Esteva FJ, Ibrahim NK, Kau SW, Islam R, Aldape KD, Yu TK, Hortobagyi GN, Gonzalez-Angulo AM.
Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine, in a cohort of patients with breast cancer and central nervous system (CNS) metastases, the effect of trastuzumab in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive disease and to compare this with that of patients with HER2-negative disease. METHODS: Five hundred and ninety-eight patients with invasive breast cancer, CNS metastases and known HER2 status were identified. Time to CNS metastases and survival after CNS metastases were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox models were fitted to determine the association between HER2 status, trastuzumab treatment and outcomes after adjustment for other patient characteristics. RESULTS: In the multivariable model, patients with HER2-negative disease [Hazard ratio (HR) 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-1.95, P = 0.003] and patients with HER2-positive disease who did not receive trastuzumab (HR 2.13, 95% CI 1.51-3.00, P < 0.0001) had shorter times to CNS metastases compared with patients with HER2-positive disease who had received trastuzumab as first-line therapy for metastases. Furthermore, patients with HER2-negative disease (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.31-2.12, P < 0.0001) and patients with HER2-positive disease who had never received trastuzumab (HR 1.34, 95% CI 0.78-2.30, P = 0.28) had an increased hazard of death compared with patients with HER2-positive disease who had received trastuzumab before or at the time of CNS metastases diagnosis. CONCLUSION: In our cohort of patients with breast cancer and CNS metastases, patients with HER2-positive disease treated with trastuzumab had longer times to development of and better survival from CNS metastases compared with patients with HER2-positive disease who had never received trastuzumab and patients with HER2-negative breast cancer.
PMID: 18334512 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Wow, did I read this correctly?
 

I sometimes have a hard time interpreting results of these studies, but does it say that Her2+ that received Herceptin actually fare better than those who are Her2-?

That's how I read it....good news!

they seem to be saying of those who have bc AND brain mets
 

that her2+s who have had herceptin than her2+s that have not had herceptin or those who have her2- disease