St. Gallen breast cancer meeting in Switzerland reconfirms herceptin cardiotoxicity

[Lani]

on the whole reversible( data from the HERA study):

Trastuzumab-Associated Cardiotoxicity Mostly Reversible: Presented at SGOC [Doctor's Guide]
ST. GALLEN, SWITZERLAND — March 19, 2007 — The cardiac side effects associated with use of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab appear to be reversible, new data from the landmark HERceptin Adjuvant (HERA) study indicate.

Trastuzumab is a humanised antibody that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), a protein that is overexpressed in 20% to 30% of breast cancers and is associated with a particularly aggressive form of the disease.

When given after adjuvant chemotherapy, trastuzumab has been shown in several large studies to significantly improve disease-free and overall survival in women with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Although trastuzumab is well tolerated overall, however, there are concerns over the drug's potential to cause cardiotoxicity. In particular, trastuzumab therapy is associated with an increased risk of congestive heart failure (CHF).

To better understand these effects, the HERA trial incorporated a safety substudy in which 3,386 participants underwent detailed cardiac monitoring at baseline, 3, 6, 12, 24, 30, 36, and 60 months.

Results: from the first 12 months of follow up were presented in a poster session here at the 10th International St. Gallen Oncology Conference (SGOC): Primary Therapy of Early Breast Cancer, held in St. Gallen, Switzerland.