Retreatment with trastuzumab after progression on lapatinib-based therapy in heavily pretreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: a single-institution experience.

Aims: The study aimed to determine if retreatment with trastuzumab after progression on treatment with lapatinib is feasible in a previously heavily pretreated population of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients and if some range of activity and an acceptable toxicity profile could be shown.

Methods And Study Design: Women with HER2-positive metastatic breast carcinoma whose disease progressed after antracycline, taxane and trastuzumab-based regimens were treated at progression with lapatinib plus capecitabine. At progression on this combination, retreatment with trastuzumab combined with different cytotoxic agents was offered to most patients.

Trastuzumab and Gemcitabine in Pretreated HER2 Overexpressing Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients: Retrospective Analysis of Our Series.

Trastuzumab-based regimes improved clinical outcome in women with overexpressing HER2 metastatic breast cancer, mainly due to the availability of different combination therapies, clinically active and well tolerated. In this study we retrospectively evaluated clinical activity and toxicity of trastuzuamb plus gemcitabine regimen in heavily pretreated HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Although the observed population was heavily pretreated, the evaluated regimen was notably effective in terms of response rate, time to progression and survival, with very mild toxicity.

Locoregional failure in early-stage breast cancer patients treated with radical mastectomy and adjuvant systemic therapy: which patients benefit from postmastectomy irradiation?

Purpose: To assess the locoregional failure in patients with Stage I-II breast cancer treated with radical mastectomy and to evaluate whether a subset of these patients might be at sufficiently high risk of locoregional recurrence (LRR) to benefit from postmastectomy irradiation (PMRT).

Methods And Materials: Stage I-II breast cancer patients (n = 150) treated with radical mastectomy without adjuvant irradiation between 1999 and 2005 were analyzed. The pattern of LRR was reported.

Target therapy in elderly breast cancer patients.

Substantial progress has been made in the management of breast cancer by targeting HER2 and VEGF pathways. Although the efficacy and safety of target therapy in breast cancer have been established, no specific phase III trial has addressed these issues in the elderly population and the only data available derive from subanalyses or retrospective series. The aim of this review is to summarize the available evidence in this special population and to encourage further well designed studies in elderly breast cancer patients.