Studies have shown that trastuzumab, a recombinant monoclonal antibody against the HER2 receptor, significantly improves overall survival and disease-free survival in women with her HER2 -positive early breast cancer. However, long-term outcomes were necessary in this regard. This article reviews the outcomes of trastuzumab treatment in HER2-positive breast cancer patients with median follow-up of 11 years. 15-20% of patients with early breast cancer have tumors with overexpression, amplification, or both of the HER2 receptor.
Four large clinical trials have clearly shown that trastuzumab has a major effect in reducing recurrence and death in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer. Further follow-up studies demonstrated that 2 years of trastuzumab was not more effective than 1 year of trastuzumab and hence 1 year of treatment has been the standard of care. Yet, long-term…
