A Review of Trastuzumab-Based Therapy in Patients with HER2-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. CMT.S35
Author(s):  
David N. Church ◽  
Chris G.A. Price

The ERBB2 or HER2 receptor is overexpressed in 25% of breast cancers and is associated with poor prognosis. Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting HER2 has been demonstrated to improve survival when combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of HER2 overexpressing metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Further studies have endeavoured to clarify the optimum chemotherapy regimen in combination with trastuzumab for MBC and its use together with novel biological agents. This review summarises these data together with preclinical studies exploring the mechanism of trastuzumab action and causes of drug resistance. The frequent incidence of brain metastases in patients on trastuzumab is highlighted, and data on the continuation of trastuzumab following CNS and non-CNS progression reviewed.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175883592091530
Author(s):  
Ning Xie ◽  
Can Tian ◽  
Hui Wu ◽  
Xiaohong Yang ◽  
Liping liu ◽  
...  

Background: The survival status of patients with breast cancer and brain metastasis (BCBM) receiving current treatments is poor. Method: We designed a real-world study to investigate using patients’ clinical and genetic aberrations to forecast the prognoses of BCBM patients. We recruited 146 BCBM patients and analyzed their clinical features to evaluate the overall survival (OS). For genetic testing, 30 BCBM and 165 non-brain-metastatic (BM) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients from Hunan Cancer Hospital, and 86 BCBM and 1416 non-BM MBC patients from the Geneplus database who received circulating tumor DNA testing, were compared and analyzed. Results: Ki67 >14% and >3 metastatic brain tumors were significant risk factors associated with poor OS, while chemotherapy and brain radiotherapy were beneficial factors for better OS. Compared with non-BM MBC patients, BCBM patients had more fibroblast growth factor receptor ( FGFR) aberrations. The combination of FGFR, TP53 and FLT1 aberrations plus immunohistochemistry HER2-positive were associated with an increased risk of brain metastasis (AUC = 77.13%). FGFR aberration alone was not only a predictive factor (AUC = 67.90%), but also a significant risk factor for poor progression-free survival (Logrank p = 0.029). FGFR1 aberration was more frequent than other FGFR family genes in BCBM patients, and FGFR1 aberration was significantly higher in BCBM patients than non-BM MBC patients. Most FGFR1-amplified MBC patients progressed within 3 months of the late-line (>2 lines) treatment. Conclusion: A group of genetic events, including FGFR, TP53 and FLT1 genetic aberrations, and HER2-positivity, forecasted the occurrence of BM in breast cancers. FGFR genetic aberration alone predicted poor prognosis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. CMO.S6460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alwin Jeyakumar ◽  
Tallal Younis

Trastuzumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively targets the extra-cellular domain of the HER2 receptor. It was approved by the FDA in September 1998 as the first targeted therapy for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, and has since led to significant improvements in the overall prognosis for patients with HER2-positive metastatic disease. The favourable benefit/risk profile associated with palliative trastuzumab has been demonstrated in a number of clinical trials that examined trastusumab as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, endocrine therapy and other HER2 targeted agents. The clinical benefits of trastuzumab, however should also be examined within the context of its significant drug acquisition costs. This review highlights the significant findings from the landmark clinical trials of trastuzumab for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, and the potential “value for money” associated with its use in clinical practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Sharp ◽  
Stephen R.D. Johnston

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. The majority of deaths attributed to breast cancer are a result of metastatic disease, and 30% of early breast cancers (EBC) will develop distant disease. The 5-year survival of patients with metastatic disease is estimated at 23%. Breast cancer subtypes continue to be stratified histologically on oestrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER2) receptor expression. HER2-positive breast cancers represent 25% of all breast cancer diagnoses. The therapies available for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are expanding, in particular within the field of HER2-positive disease, with the approval of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, lapatinib and trastuzumab emtansine (TDM-1). Recently, TDM-1 has been shown to improve progression-free survival in HER2 MBC when compared to capecitabine and lapatinib in clinical studies. Its main toxicities are deranged liver function tests and thrombocytopenia. There have also been cases of acute liver failure. Therefore, its use in acute hepatic dysfunction, to our knowledge, has been neither studied nor reported. We report a patient with progressive HER2-positive MBC who had previously responded to multiple HER2-targeted therapies that presented with acute hepatic dysfunction. She was treated with dose-reduced TDM-1 safely, with clear evidence of rapid biochemical, clinical and radiological response. This allowed dose escalation of TDM-1, and the patient maintains an ongoing response.


1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Baselga ◽  
D Tripathy ◽  
J Mendelsohn ◽  
S Baughman ◽  
C C Benz ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Breast cancer frequently overexpresses the product of the HER2 proto-oncogene, a 185-kd growth factor receptor (p185HER2). The recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody (rhuMAb) HER2 has high affinity for p185HER2 and inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells that overexpress HER2. We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of weekly intravenous administration of rhuMAb HER2 in patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS We treated 46 patients with metastatic breast carcinomas that overexpressed HER2. Patients received a loading dose of 250 mg of intravenous rhuMAb HER2, then 10 weekly doses of 100 mg each. Patients with no disease progression at the completion of this treatment period were offered a maintenance phase of 100 mg/wk. RESULTS Study patients had extensive metastatic disease, and most had received extensive prior anticancer therapy. Adequate pharmacokinetic levels of rhuMAb HER2 were obtained in 90% of the patients. Toxicity was minimal and no antibodies against rhuMAb HER2 were detected in any patients. Objective responses were seen in five of 43 assessable patients, and included one complete remission and four partial remissions (overall response rate, 11.6%; 95% confidence interval, 4.36 to 25.9). Responses were observed in liver, mediastinum, lymph nodes, and chest wall lesions. Minor responses, seen in two patients, and stable disease, which occurred in 14 patients, lasted for a median of 5.1 months. CONCLUSION rhuMAb HER2 is well tolerated and clinically active in patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancers that had received extensive prior therapy. This is evidence that targeting growth factor receptors can cause regression of human cancer and justifies further evaluation of this agent.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6097-6097
Author(s):  
P. Scullin ◽  
A. T. Drake ◽  
V. M. Coyle ◽  
J. J. McAleer

6097 Background: Clinical trials have clearly established that patients receiving taxane-based chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) should be treated with trastuzumab if their tumour is shown to overexpress the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) receptor. This is based on median survival gains for patients with HER2 positive tumours treated with trastuzumab plus taxane chemotherapy compared to taxane alone. Methods: Patients commencing chemotherapy for MBC in Northern Ireland in 2004 were identified from pharmacy records. Their case notes were retrospectively reviewed to determine whether patients in routine clinical practice had HER2 testing and trastuzumab treatment if indicated. Results: One hundred and fifty six patients commenced chemotherapy, of whom 145(93%) had HER2 testing. In 69(44%) patients the HER2 result was already available at the time of this relapse. In the remaining 76(49%) patients the result became available in a median of 41.5 (range 0–368) days. Of those tested, 48 patients (33%) were HER2 positive (immuno-histochemistry 3+ or fluorescence in situ hybridization positive). Thirty eight of these patients were treated with trastuzumab, either as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy. There were valid reasons for trastuzumab omission in 7 of 10 patients not given trastuzumab (4 given first line anthracycline-based regimen, 1 had cardiac dysfunction, 1 had extensive lung metastastes and 1 was unfit for treatment). The data were examined for variations in chemotherapy and trastuzumab use across the 4 health boards which comprise the region. The number of patients commencing chemotherapy ranged from 6.9 to 11.4 patients per 100,000 population indicating a significantly different utilisation (p<0.001). Conclusions: In our region 145 of 156 patients who received chemotherapy for MBC were tested for overexpression of the HER2 receptor (93%). Of those patients who were eligible to receive trastuzumab 31 out of 34 (91%) received trastuzumab. There were inequalities in the region regarding chemotherapy for MBC and the time required to obtain a HER2 result averaged 41.5 days. Testing of HER2 status at time of original diagnosis would streamline management of metastatic disease. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélica Santiago-Gómez ◽  
Ilaria Dragoni ◽  
Roisin NicAmhlaoibh ◽  
Elisabeth Trivier ◽  
Verity Sabin ◽  
...  

AbstractDespite the effectiveness of endocrine therapies to treat estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast tumours, two thirds of patients will eventually relapse due tode novoor acquired resistance to these agents. Cancer Stem-like Cells (CSCs), a rare cell population within the tumour, accumulate after anti-estrogen treatments and are likely to contribute to their failure. Here we studied the role of p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) as a promising target to overcome endocrine resistance and disease progression in ER+ breast cancers. PAK4 predicts for resistance to tamoxifen and poor prognosis in 2 independent cohorts of ER+ tumours. We observed that PAK4 strongly correlates with CSC activity in metastatic patient-derived samples irrespective of breast cancer subtype. However, PAK4-driven mammosphere-forming CSC activity increases alongside progression only in ER+ metastatic samples. PAK4 activity increases in ER+ models during acquired resistance to endocrine therapies. Targeting PAK4 with either CRT PAKi, a small molecule inhibitor of PAK4, or with specific siRNAs abrogates CSC activity/self-renewal in clinical samples and endocrine-resistant cells. Together, our findings establish that PAK4 regulates stemness during disease progression and that its inhibition reverses endocrine resistance in ER+ breast cancers.HighlightsPAK4 predicts for failure of endocrine therapies and poor prognosisPAK4 drives stemness and progression in ER+ metastatic breast cancerTargeting PAK4 abrogates breast CSC activity and restores sensitivity to endocrine treatmentsTargeting PAK4 will improve outcome of ER+ breast cancer patientsList of Abbreviations that appeared in abstractCancer Stem-like Cells (CSCs)p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4)Estrogen Receptor (ER)


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 4790
Author(s):  
Amélie Aboudaram ◽  
Pierre Loap ◽  
Delphine Loirat ◽  
Syrine Ben Dhia ◽  
Kim Cao ◽  
...  

Background: The combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab dual HER2 blockade with concomitant curative dose locoregional breast radiotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer is an important part of treatment strategy. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at the Institut Curie on all patients treated concomitantly with pertuzumab/trastuzumab and locoregional breast radiotherapy. Toxicity was evaluated according to the NCICTCAEv4.0. Overall survival, progression-free survival and locoregional recurrence-free survival were evaluated in metastatic patients who were initially well controlled by chemotherapy, for whom local treatment was decided by the multidisciplinary team. Results: Fifty-five patients treated between October 2013 and December 2019 were included, with a median follow-up of 4.1 years. The median age was 53 years (range: 28–81). All patients received curative dose radiotherapy (RT) concomitantly with pertuzumab and trastuzumab (Pertu/Trastu). The median radiation dose was 50 Gy. Safety evaluation did not reveal any significant adverse effects, with 3 cases of grade 3 radiodermatitis (5.4%), but no significant gastrointestinal or cardiac toxicity. The mean difference in LVEF before any chemotherapy and after radiotherapy was −2.43% (p < 0.01). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the combination of locoregional breast RT with dual HER2 blockade by Pertu/Trastu was very well tolerated, suggesting that RT can be safely administered to patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.


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