title: Maintenance treatment of trastuzumab for patients with advanced breast cancer to achieve long term survival: two case reports and literature review.
abstract: Molecular subtyping of breast cancer may provide additional prognostic information regarding patient outcome. The epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) overexpressing breast cancers are designated as HER2-postive (HER2+) breast cancer and carry a particularly unfavorable prognosis. We present two cases of HER2-postive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who are found to be a challenge to treat, especially due to the occurrence of brain metastasis. Trastuzumab-based therapy improves clinical outcomes, even if the patient has undergone multi-line treatment. These case reports also emphasize the importance of retesting HER2 status because it can be discordance in receptor status between primary and recurrent breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Henan Breast Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Henan Breast Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, China.
authors.forename: Hui-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Henan Breast Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, China.
authors.forename: Meng-Wei
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Henan Breast Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, China.
authors.forename: Shu-De
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Cui
keywords: Breast cancer; brain metastasis; trastuzumab