Herceptin helps to erradicate HER2-positive breast tumours when given before surgery

European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), Berlin, Germany, April 2008 - New data presented as part of a late breaking plenary session at EBCC in Berlin showed that Herceptin (trastuzumab) in combination with standard chemotherapy prior to breast cancer surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) completely eradicates the tumours in 45.5% of women with HER2-positive early breast cancer. This is an impressive finding since the proportion of women achieving total tumor eradication with standard chemotherapy alone is less than 30%.[i] These important results from the GeparQuattro study highlight the efficacy of early treatment of HER2- positive breast cancer, raising the prospect of cure.

“Herceptin delivered on its promise of high tumour eradication when given to women with this aggressive form of breast cancer before their surgery”, said investigator Prof. Dr. von Minckwitz, University Women's Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany and Managing Director of the German Breast Group. “The GeparQuattro study is the largest neoadjuvant clinical trial in women with HER2-positive breast cancer and shows that Herceptin offers real hope for women with early breast cancer.”

The GeparQuattro results are consistent with other Herceptin neoadjuvant studies, such as NOAH (NeOAdjuvant Herceptin, including 228 evaluable HER2-positive patients)[ii] and TECHNO (Taxol-Epirubicin-Cyclophosphamid-Herceptin Neoadjuvant), reinforcing the strong evidence for the benefits associated with Herceptin in the early stages of HER2-positive breast cancer.

“It is very reassuring to see that the GeparQuattro study confirmed the significant benefits observed with Herceptin in other neoadjuvant studies in HER2-positive breast cancer”, commented Prof. Dr. Untch, Helios Clinics, Berlin, Germany, who presented the study findings. “Herceptin makes women with this aggressive type of breast cancer feel more confident about their future.”

GeparQuattro and NOAH studied Herceptin in combination with different chemotherapy regimens and showed equally good efficacy results, indicating that Herceptin can be combined successfully with different chemotherapies. Measuring the efficacy of Herceptin in these studies was based on the disappearance of tumour cells in the breast and in the lymph nodes - a therapeutic success measure known as complete pathological response, which is a strong predictor for long-term survival.[iii],[iv]

HER2-positive breast cancer is diagnosed in approximately 20-30% of all breast cancer cases.[v] It demands special attention because the tumours are typically fast-growing, and there is a high likelihood of the cancer coming back. Pre-surgery therapy is administered to women to help make large (>2cm) tumours shrink enabling them to become operable and improve treatment outcomes.

References

Gianni L, et al., Neoadjuvant trastuzumab in locally advanced breast cancer (NOAH):antitumor and safety analysis. Abstract # 532. American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting 2007

Rastogi et al. Preoperative chemotherapy: updates of National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Protocols B-18 and B-27. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Feb 10;26(5):778-85

Kaufmann, von Minckwitz. Preoperative (neoadjuvant) systemic treatment of breast cancer. Breast. 2005 Dec;14(6):576-81

Harries M, Smith I. The development and clinical use of trastuzumab (Herceptin). Endocr Relat Cancer 9: 75-85, 2002

World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/cancer/detection/breastcancer/en/

Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide. IARC CancerBase No.5, Version 2.0. IARCPress, Lyon, 2004