Adjuvant herceptin alone for breast cancer – pro
Herceptin is approved for the adjuvant treatment of HER2-overexpressing, node-positive or node-negative (ER/PR-negative or with one high-risk feature) breast cancer. Herceptin can be used several different ways:
As part of a treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel
With docetaxel and carboplatin
As a single agent following multi-modality anthracycline-based adjuvant therapy
Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is approved for the first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin as a single agent is approved for treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer in patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease.
Recent reports suggest that Herceptin can be used in the adjuvant setting for some early stage breast cancer patients. However these remain nonrandomized and speculative and the standard of care remains chemotherapy wth Herceptinfor those patients who can benefit form adjuvant therapy or no adjuvant chem for those with verye arly disease, not Herceptin alone.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Breast cancer. Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology — v2.2005. Jenkintown, PA: NCCN; 2005.
Piccart-Gebhart MJ, Procter M, Leyland-Jones B, et al.; Herceptin Adjuvant (HERA) Trial Study Team. Trastuzumab after adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(16):1659-1672.
Romond EH, Perez EA, Bryant J, et al. Trastuzumab plus adjuvant chemotherapy for operable HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(16):1673-1684.
Hortobagyi GN. Trastuzumab in the treatment of breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(16):1734-1736.