Comparison of overall survival between the early use and delayed use of Trastuzumab therapy groups: a retrospective analysis of 128 patients with HER-2-positive advanced breast cancer

• Published in: Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 39 - 47
• Main Authors: Shi, Yan-Xia, Tan, Yu-Ting, Yuan, Zhong-Yu, Wang, Shu-Sen, Peng, Rou-Jun, An, Xin, Cao, Ye, Jin, Ying, Cai, Xiu-Yu, Sun, Yue-Li, Teng, Xiao-Yu, Liu, Dong-Geng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.03.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents - administration & dosage; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms - mortality; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Hematology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Oncology; Original Paper; Pathology; Receptor, ErbB-2 - biosynthesis; Retrospective Studies; Trastuzumab; Overall survival; Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; HER-2-positive advanced breast cancer; Trastuzumab; Delayed use
• ISSN: 1357-0560; 1559-131X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12032-010-9798-3

Trastuzumab has been the standard treatment in first-line treatment of HER-2-positive advanced breast cancer (H2ABC). This study explored whether the delayed and repeated use of trastuzumab could influence overall survival (OS). A total of 128 patients with H2ABC who had received at least one line of trastuzumab-based regimens were included. The primary endpoint was OS defined as from the date of first diagnosis of H2ABC to death. The median OS of initiating trastuzumab in first-line group ( n  = 56), in the second-line group ( n  = 32), and the third- or more-line group ( n  = 40) was 40.6 m, 39.5 m, and 38 m, respectively ( P  = 0.867). For patients who had received over one line of trastuzumab ( n  = 46), the median OS was 44 m, and for those receiving only one line ( n  = 67), it was 27.6 m ( P  = 0.059). The delayed use of trastuzumab has no negative effect on the OS of patients with H2ABC. There is a trend of improved OS over the repeated use of trastuzumab.