February 1, 2010 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expanded indication for lapatinib (Tykerb, GlaxoSmithKline) in combination with letrozole (Femara, Novartis AG) for the treatment of hormone-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women for whom hormonal therapy is indicated.

With the help of grant money, Lance Liotta and Emanuel Petricoin launched a clinical trial last week to study whether medical professionals can customize treatment for patients with metastatic breast cancer by looking at the protein pathways that vary inside each tumor.

HOUSTON — (February 12, 2010) — The master gene called SRC-3 (steroid receptor coactivator 3) not only enhances estrogen-dependent growth of cancer cells by activating and encouraging the transcription of a genetic message into a protein, it also sends a signal to the cell membrane to promote cell motility or movement – a key element of cancer spread or metastasis, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers and collaborators in a report that appears in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell.

The FDA has approved the use of the drug lapatinib (Tykerb) in combination with letrozole (Femara) to treat postmenopausal women with advanced HER2-positive and hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer.

SAN ANTONIO—The targeted combination of lapatinib (Tykerb) plus trastuzumab (Herceptin) led to a median overall survival of 14 months in women with refractory metastatic breast cancer, according to an updated analysis of the phase III EGF104900 trial

Adding lapatinib to trastuzumab may improve progression-free survival in women whose HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer progressed on a previous trastuzumab regimen, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers involved in an international multicenter study (CHAT) have reported that the addition of Xeloda® (capecitabine) to Herceptin® (trastuzumab) and Taxotere® (docetaxel) improves response rate and progression-free survival in women with advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. However, Xeloda increased toxicities significantly. The details of this study were published early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on December 28, 2009.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tykerb (lapatinib) in combination with Femara (letrozole) to treat hormone positive and HER2-positive advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women for whom hormonal therapy is indicated.