Trastuzumab in the treatment of advanced breast cancer: Single-center experience

A significant number of women with advanced breast cancer fail to respond t o standard-dose chemotherapy. From the beginning of 1999, 17 women with HER 2 positive advanced breast cancer received Herceptin(R) as monotherapy or i n combination with paclitaxel or other non-anthracyclines. Eight (47%) wome n previously received high-dose chemotherapy followed by haematopoiesis ste m cell rescue. Three women received Herceptin(R) alone, eleven Herceptin(R) plus paclitaxel and three Herceptin(R) and some of other non-anthracycline s (CCNU, cisplatin and gemcitabine). In the group of patients who received Herceptin(R) monotherapy, one has partial response (PR), one stable disease (SD) and in the third patient the disease progressed. Out of three patient s who received Herceptin(R) in combination with other non-anthracyclines, t wo have SD and one progressed. In the group of 11 women who received Hercep tin(R) + Taxol(R), 7 (64%) patients achieved PR, 2 (18%) SD, and 2 (18%) ha d disease progression. Grade 3-4 neutropenia has been observed in four (23% ) women. Febrile neutropenia was observed in two cases and resolved complet ely when antibiotics were introduced. Other grade 3 toxicity that has been noted is peripheral neuropathy in three (18%) patients, diarrhoea in four ( 23%) and onycholysis in one (6%). Serial heart ultrasound showed no signifi cant decline in left ventricular ejection fraction. According to our prelim inary experience, Herceptin(R) therapy showed promising results in women wi th metastatic breast cancer.