from Lugano--reaffirmation to stay on Herceptin beyond progression on herceptin4mbc

[Lani]

Trastuzumab Use Beyond Progression on Previous Trastuzumab Treatment in HER-2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: Presented at ESMO
LUGANO, SWITZERLAND — July 9, 2007 — Continuation of treatment beyond disease progression with the humanised monoclonal anti-Her-2 antibody trastuzumab can promote further objective tumour response in patients with Her-2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), according to a retrospective study presented here at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Conference.
In addition, such an approach is feasible and safe and has no adverse effects on quality of life, according to principal investigator Malgorzata M. Hutka, MD, Medical Oncologist, Medical Oncology Clinic, Institute of Oncology MSC Cancer Centre, Gliwice, Poland.
Although trastuzumab is an integral part of therapy for patients with Her-2-positive MBC, it has yet to be determined in randomised clinical trials if trastuzumab can still provide benefits after the failure of earlier trastuzumab combination treatment.
In their Best Poster winner, Dr. Hutka and colleagues indicated that the aim of their study was to determine if continuation of trastuzumab treatment in combination with further lines of chemotherapy after progression on a previous trastuzumab-containing regimen can provide improved clinical outcomes over chemotherapy alone.