title: Complete response of severe symptomatic bone marrow metastases from heavily pretreated breast cancer with a 3-weekly trastuzumab schedule. A clinical case.
abstract: Overexpression of HER-2/neu in breast cancer has been associated with more aggressive disease and poor overall survival. Trastuzumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody with high affinity for the HER-2 protein, inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells overexpressing HER-2. Trastuzumab showed, as second-line treatment, 15% of objective response in metastatic breast cancer. Bone marrow metastases are detectable in 23% of the patients with advanced breast cancer at first relapse and this rate increases in patients with metastatic disease. We report a case of a complete response of bone marrow metastases from breast cancer using a 3-weekly trastuzumab schedule, in a heavily pretreated patient with severe symptomatic pancytopenia.
authors.affiliation: U.O. Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera S.G. Moscati, Avellino, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colantuoni
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cantore
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Panico
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Chiara
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ferbo
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gridelli
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D000068878:Trastuzumab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D005472:Fluorouracil; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab