wonderful hopeful report with important implications--anyone read Japanese?

[Lani]

Last sentence is most intruguing!

: Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2007 Sep;34(9):1501-3.
[A Case of Liver Metastasis of Breast Cancer Responding to Trastuzumab Plus Weekly Paclitaxel Chemotherapy Maintaining CR for 30 Months.]

[Article in Japanese]

Nagahisa Y, Imai S, Yamaguchi K, Okabe M, Tsuruta A, Kawamoto K, Niwano M, Sano K, Park T, Yoshida Y, Ito T, Ogasahara K.
Dept. of Surgery, Kurashiki Central Hospital.
In February, 19 9 8, a 48-year-old female patient underwent an operation for breast cancer. In November 2003, abdominal MRI revealed metastatic lesions in S 3 and S 5 of the liver, and chemotherapy (trastuzumab+weekly paclitaxel) was started, after which the metastatic lesions quickly reduced in size.No lesions could be detected by April 2004,and she was diagnosed as a complete response (CR).She now visits our hospital as an outpatient without any evidence of recurrence or any side effects of chemotherapy for 8 years and 8 months after surgery. For advanced breast cancer, there is no standard criteria regarding the time when to stop chemotherapy after obtaining a CR. This time, we experienced a case of liver metastasis of breast cancer responding to a regimen of trastuzumab plus weekly paclitaxel chemotherapy maintaining CR for a long period.We discuss the timing of the termination of chemotherapy in such a case in light of our experience and the literature.
PMID: 17876156 [PubMed - in process]