title: Treatment of metastatic ErbB2-positive breast cancer: options after progression on trastuzumab.
abstract: Although trastuzumab-based therapy has changed the treatment paradigm for ErbB2-positive breast cancers, most patients eventually develop progressive disease. Of particular interest is the issue of disease progression in the central nervous system, a safe haven from high molecular weight antibodies like trastuzumab, which have limited ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. This review will discuss therapeutic options for when disease progression has occurred on trastuzumab-based therapies, including central nervous system progression, continuation of trastuzumab-based therapy, addition of novel targeted therapies, and the use of small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting ErbB receptors.
authors.affiliation: Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA. neil.spector@duke.edu
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Spector
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018450:Disease Progression; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077341:Lapatinib; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000068878:Trastuzumab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000077341:Lapatinib; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011799:Quinazolines; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human