Publication

Trastuzumab Treatment beyond Progression in Advanced Breast Cancer: Patterns of Care in Six Swiss Breast Cancer Centers

Journal Paper/Review - Oct 28, 2011

Units
PubMed
Doi

Citation
Huober J, Widmer I, von Rohr L, Müller A, von Moos R, Güth U, Aebi S, Rochlitz C, Baumann M, Thürlimann B. Trastuzumab Treatment beyond Progression in Advanced Breast Cancer: Patterns of Care in Six Swiss Breast Cancer Centers. Oncology 2011; 81:160-166.
Type
Journal Paper/Review (English)
Journal
Oncology 2011; 81
Publication Date
Oct 28, 2011
Issn Electronic
1423-0232
Pages
160-166
Brief description/objective

Background: Trastuzumab is an established treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer (BC). We analyzed Swiss patterns of care in patients with HER2-positive BC after disease progression on trastuzumab-containing therapy for metastatic BC (MBC). Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in six Swiss BC centers. Patients with HER2-positive MBC treated with at least one infusion of trastuzumab for advanced disease between January 2006 and December 2007 were identified. Treatment patterns in first and further lines were analyzed. Results: All of the 72 identified patients received trastuzumab as their first palliative anti-HER2 therapy, either as monotherapy (n = 23) or in combination with chemotherapy (typically taxane or vinorelbine; n = 49). Median time to progression was 8.1, 8.0 and 7.9 months in the monotherapy, trastuzumab-taxane and trastuzumab-vinorelbine cohorts, respectively. After progression on first-line anti-HER2 therapy, trastuzumab was continued in 67 of 68 patients who received further therapy. One patient received second-line lapatinib plus capecitabine. The median duration of anti-HER2 therapy was 20 months. Patients received a median of 4 lines of anti-HER2 therapy. Conclusions: Durable responses were achieved with repeated exposure to anti-HER2 therapy. In a selected patient population, trastuzumab monotherapy appears to be a reasonable first-line treatment option.