Trastuzumab: A Milestone in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancer

Abstract

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression is seen in 25% of breast cancers. Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer have aggressive disease and inferior survival. HER2 overexpression is assessed by immunohistochemistry or fluorescent in situ hybridization-based methods. Trastuzumab has shown to improve survival in HER2-positive breast cancer. It is recommended in patients with >T1c for 1-year duration in adjuvant setting, preferably given concurrently with taxane.

Keywords

Breast cancer - human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive disease - trastuzumab

Publication History

Received: 16 December 2019

Accepted: 06 February 2020

Article published online:
23 May 2021

• References

• 1 Mitri Z, Constantine T, O’Regan R. The HER2 receptor in breast cancer: Pathophysiology, clinical use, and new advances in therapy. Chemother Res Pract 2012; 2012: 743193
• 2 Slamon DJ, Clark GM, Wong SG, Levin WJ, Ullrich A, McGuire WL. Human breast cancer: Correlation of relapse and survival with amplification of the HER-2/neu oncogene. Science 1987; 235: 177-82
• 3 Hudis CA. Trastuzumab – Mechanism of action and use in clinical practice. N Engl J Med 2007; 357: 39-51
• 4 Delaney P. HER-2: The making of herceptin, a revolutionary treatment for breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1999; 91: 1329-30
• 5 Perez EA, Romond EH, Suman VJ, Jeong JH, Sledge G, Geyer Jr CE. et al. Trastuzumab plus adjuvant chemotherapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer: planned joint analysis of overall survival from NSABP B-31 and NCCTG N9831. J Clin Oncol 2014; 32: 3744-52
• 6 Cameron D, Piccart-Gebhart MJ, Gelber RD, Procter M, Goldhirsch A, de Azambuja E. et al. 11 years’ follow-up of trastuzumab after adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-positive early breast cancer: Final analysis of the HERceptin Adjuvant (HERA) trial. Lancet 2017; 389: 1195-205
• 7 Slamon D, Eiermann W, Robert N, Pienkowski T, Martin M, Press M. et al. Adjuvant trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2011; 365: 1273-83
• 8 Slamon DJ, Leyland-Jones B, Shak S, Fuchs H, Paton V, Bajamonde A. et al. Use of chemotherapy plus a monoclonal antibody against HER2 for metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses HER2. N Engl J Med 2001; 344: 783-92
• 9 Joensuu H, Kellokumpu-Lehtinen PL, Bono P, Alanko T, Kataja V, Asola R. et al. Adjuvant docetaxel or vinorelbine with or without trastuzumab for breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2006; 354: 809-20
• 10 Bang YJ, Van Cutsem E, Feyereislova A, Chung HC, Shen L, Sawaki A. et al. Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for treatment of HER2-positive advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (ToGA): A phase 3, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2010; 376: 687-97
• 11 Jackisch C, Hegg R, Stroyakovskiy D, Ahn JS, Melichar B, Chen SC. et al. HannaH phase III randomised study: Association of total pathological complete response with event-free survival in HER2-positive early breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant-adjuvant trastuzumab after 2 years of treatment-free follow-up. Eur J Cancer 2016; 62: 62-75
• 12 Figura NB, Long W, Yu M, Robinson TJ, Mokhtari S, Etame AB. et al. Intrathecal trastuzumab in the management of HER2+ breast leptomeningeal disease: A single institution experience. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2018; 169: 391-6
• 13 Tolaney SM, Barry WT, Dang CT, Yardley DA, Moy B, Marcom PK. et al. Adjuvant paclitaxel and trastuzumab for node-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2015; 372: 134-41
• 14 Swain SM, Baselga J, Kim SB, Ro J, Semiglazov V, Campone M. et al. Pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2015; 372: 724-34
• 15 Earl HM, Hiller L, Vallier AL, Loi S, McAdam K, Hughes-Davies L. et al. 6 versus 12 months of adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2-positive early breast cancer (PERSEPHONE): 4-year disease-free survival results of a randomised phase 3 non-inferiority trial. Lancet 2019; 393: 2599-612
• 16 Joensuu H, Bono P, Kataja V, Alanko T, Kokko R, Asola R. et al. Fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide with either docetaxel or vinorelbine, with or without trastuzumab, as adjuvant treatments of breast cancer: Final results of the FinHer Trial. J Clin Oncol 2009; 27: 5685-92
• 17 Sethjiwala T, Dhanushkodi M, Radhakrishnan V, Kalaiarasi JP, Mehra N, Joshi A. et al. Adjuvant short-course trastuzumab in breast cancer. Indian J Gynecol 2019; 17: 68
• 18 Rugo HS, Barve A, Waller CF, Hernandez-Bronchud M, Herson J, Yuan J. et al. Effect of a proposed trastuzumab biosimilar compared with trastuzumab on overall response rate in patients with ERBB2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2017; 317: 37-47
• 19 Waller CF, Manikhas V, Pennella EJ, Bondarenko V, Mukhametshina G, Tiambeng ML. et al. Biosimilar trastuzumab-dkst monotherapy versus trastuzumab monotherapy after combination therapy: Final overall survival (OS) from the phase III HERITAGE Trial. J Clin Oncol 2019; 37: 1021
• 20 Modi S, Saura C, Yamashita T, Park YH, Kim S, Tamura K. et al. Trastuzumab deruxtecan in previously treated HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2019; 382: 610-21
• 21 Murthy RK, Loi S, Okines A, Paplomata E, Hamilton E, Hurvitz SA. et al. Tucatinib, trastuzumab, and capecitabine for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2019; 382: 597-609