ER+ her2+ patients just as likely to benefit from addition of herceptin 2chemo as ER-

[Lani]

her2+ patients

I had heard this in the interim results of the HERA study, but here it is from a group of authors from MD Anderson reviewing their her2+ neoadjuvant chemotherapy trial results

Ann Oncol. 2008 Jul 29. [Epub ahead of print]

Hormone receptor status and pathologic response of HER2-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab.

Peintinger F, Buzdar AU, Kuerer HM, Mejia JA, Hatzis C, Gonzalez-Angulo AM, Pusztai L, Esteva FJ, Dawood SS, Green MC, Hortobagyi GN, Symmans WF.
Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the extent of pathologic response in patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer treated with standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with or without trastuzumab (H), according to hormone receptor (HR) status. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 199 patients with HER2+ breast cancer from three successive cohorts of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy on the basis of paclitaxel (Taxol) (P) administered weekly (w) or three weekly (3-w), followed by 5-fluorouracil (F), doxorubicin (A) or epirubicin (E), and cyclophosphamide (C). Residual cancer burden (RCB) was determined from pathologic review of the primary tumor and lymph nodes and was classified as pathologic complete response (pCR) or minimal (RCB-I), moderate (RCB-II), or extensive (RCB-III) residual disease. RESULTS: In HR-positive (HR+) cancers, a higher rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) was observed with concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (73%) than with 3-wP/FEC (34%, P = 0.002) or wP/FAC (47%; P = 0.02) chemotherapy alone. In HR-negative (HR-) cancers, there were no significant differences in the rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) from 3-wP/FAC (50%), wP/FAC (68%), or concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (72%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HR+/HER2+ breast cancer obtained significant benefit from addition of trastuzumab to P/FEC chemotherapy; pathologic response rate was similar to that seen in HR-/HER2+ breast cancers.