title: Marked response to single agent trastuzumab in a patient with metastatic HER-2 gene amplified rectal cancer.
abstract: Overexpression or HER-2 gene amplification occurs in approximately 25% of invasive breast cancers and predicts response to the targeting therapeutic antibody trastuzumab (1). In this report, trastuzumab was used in the treatment of a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer harboring HER-2 gene amplification and overexpression. There was a marked radiographic response to the trastuzumab. If a larger series confirms the efficacy of trastuzumab use in patients with colorectal cancers with HER-2 gene amplification, trastuzumab could help improve the outlook for patients with this unusual colorectal cancer variant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Oncology Division, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. ssorsche@dom.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sorscher
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D018734:Genes, erbB-2; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D000068878:Trastuzumab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000068878:Trastuzumab