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.

Published: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 11:30 in Health & Medicine

Compared to conventional chemotherapy, autologous stem cell transplantation can extend “event-free survival” for breast cancer patients. Clinical trials provide proof of this for breast cancer with and without distant metastases.

By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: December 15, 2009

SAN ANTONIO — A novel form of trastuzumab (Herceptin) with a chemotherapy-like conjugate attached appears to substantially improve outcomes in heavily-pretreated metastatic breast cancer, researchers said.

Researchers find out why estrogen-positive tumors stop responding to commonly used drugs, pointing a way to new therapies
Washington, DC – Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have found a way to cleverly override signals that tell breast cancer cells to keep surviving in the face of anticancer treatment. The investigational agent they used renews the sensitivity of these breast cancer cells to treatment by fulvestrant (Faslodex®) which had stopped working.

They add that this method will likely work equally well with tamoxifen, the world’s most commonly used breast cancer drug. Both fulvestrant and tamoxifen are used in women with estrogen-receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Tumours cannot only spread through the body by sending out tiny cells called seeds, but they can re-seed themselves, researchers said in a report that may help explain why tumours grow back even after they are removed.

They said their findings, published in the journal Cell, may also help lead to the development of new drugs to stop the process of cancer spread, or metastasis.

Stephen Paget had a question: When cancer breaks free and starts to spread, where does it go and how does it get there? As a surgeon at the West London hospital, he knew most people didn’t die from their original tumors, but from metastatic outposts in other parts of the body.

Researchers involved in an international randomized Phase IIB study have reported that the combination of Nexavar® (sorafenib) and Taxol® (paclitaxel) improves progression-free survival (PFS) compared with Taxol plus placebo in patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. These results were presented at the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.