Treatment Information

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Breast Cancer treatment details. Chemotherapy, Biologic therapy.

Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, TN, United States.

Survival: monthsCountry:United States
Toxiciy Grade:4City/State/Province:Nashville, TN
Treatments:Chemotherapy, Biologic therapyHospital:Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:Aug 2009

Description:

Patients:
This study involved 41 women with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. The median age was 57 years (range 27-79).

Treatment:
The women in this study were given a combination of the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine and the biologic therapy agent trastuzumab, which is an antibody that targets the HER2 protein on cancer cells and leads to cell death.

Toxicities:
The most severe adverse events reported in this study were of grade 4 and included neutropenia (10% of patients), thrombocytopenia (2%), and anemia (2%). In addition, grade 3 nausea, fatigue, and alopecia were each reported by 17% of patients.

Results:
The median progression-free survival was 4 months and median overall survival was 21 months.

Support:
This study was supported by Eli Lilly and Genentech, makers of gemcitabine (trade name: Gemzar) and trastuzumab (trade name: Herceptin), respectively.

Correspondence: Dr. Denise Yardley; email: [email protected]



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