title: Trastuzumab, an appropriate first-line single-agent therapy for HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer.
abstract: Overexpression of the HER2/Neu (ErbB2) proto-oncogene is associated with breast cancer progression and poor patient prognosis. Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a humanized IgG1 against the ectodomain of the HER2 receptor. In combination with chemotherapy, it induces regression of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast tumors and prolongs patient survival. Single-agent Herceptin in patients with HER2-amplified breast tumors also induces a definite objective response and clinical benefit rates, and is well tolerated. These data suggest that Herceptin is an effective first-line single-agent therapy for a predictable cohort of metastatic breast cancers and can therefore be used as a platform for therapeutic discovery against tumors that overexpress HER2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. carlos.arteaga@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Carlos L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Arteaga
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000068878:Trastuzumab; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human