title: The role of trastuzumab in the management of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: an updated review.
abstract: Currently, trastuzumab is one of the key drugs in the treatment strategy for HER2-positive breast cancer. Although metastatic breast cancer is unlikely to be cured, some HER2-positive patients have survived for a long time with complete response to trastuzumab therapy. In HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, single agent trastuzumab is effective and less toxic. Combination of trastuzumab with cytotoxic drugs is also effective. Therefore, major guidelines recommend using trastuzumab as a key drug in the management of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. However, many clinical questions still need to be solved. In this article, recent evidence was reviewed to find some answers about these issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan. tokuda@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Umemura
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* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000068878:Trastuzumab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab