Herceptin (Trastuzumab) News and Research

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Herceptin (Trastuzumab) is a monoclonal antibody that binds to HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), and can kill HER2-positive cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies are made in the laboratory and can locate and bind to substances in the body, including cancer cells. Herceptin is used to treat breast cancer that is HER2-positive and has spread after treatment with other drugs. It is also used with other anticancer drugs to treat HER2-positive breast cancer after surgery. Herceptin is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

Glowing imaging compound allows detection of viable cancer cells in mice

Researchers have developed a new type of imaging compound that allows them to visualize viable breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs in mice.

8 Dec 2008

Researchers find deadly protein that acts as a cancer master switch

Two critical properties of cancer cells are their ability to divide without restraint and to spread away from the primary tumor to establish new tumor sites.

17 Nov 2008

Study suggests Siemens non-invasive blood test may have a role in monitoring breast cancer patients' response to Herceptin

Siemens Healthcare announced that data from a new study published in the American Cancer Society journal Cancer, supports using the Siemens Serum HER-2/neu test to monitor patients with an aggressive type of metastatic breast cancer.

17 Nov 2008

Scientists identify dangerous 'two-faced' protein crucial to breast cancer spread and growth

Two critical properties of cancer cells are their ability to divide without restraint and to spread away from the primary tumor to establish new tumor sites.

17 Nov 2008

'Intelligent' cancer drug development boosts success rates

A new era of intelligent cancer drug development has spurred a leap in the proportion of drugs reaching patients, according to a study by Cancer Research UK scientists published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.

17 Nov 2008

Scientists find intra cellular pathway driving a deadly sub-type of breast cancer

An intra cellular pathway not previously linked to breast cancer is driving a sub-type of the disease that is highly lethal and disproportionately over-represented in African American women.

16 Nov 2008

Alteration of a gene causes neuroblastoma

Olivier Delattre's team (Inserm Unit 830 "Genetics and Biology of Cancer") of the Institut Curie reveal in an article in the 16 October issue of Nature that alteration of the ALK gene is closely associated with the most frequent solid extracerebral tumor in children-neuroblastoma. By studying the familial forms of this tumor, the researchers also conclude that ALK is a gene that predisposes to neuroblastoma.

7 Nov 2008

Trastuzumab-DM1 - a 'smart bomb' for breast cancer treatment

Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) investigators have found that "smart bomb" therapies are effective in treating breast cancer patients while minimizing side effects.

7 Sep 2008

New research finds way to switch off breast cancer and leukaemia

Australian scientists have identified a way of switching off a molecule, which plays a key role in the process that triggers breast cancer and certain forms of leukaemia.

11 Aug 2008

Gab2 signalling protein switches off breast cancer and leukaemia

Australian scientists have identified a way to 'switch off' a molecule, a key player in the molecular processes that trigger breast cancer and certain forms of leukaemia.

10 Aug 2008

Laboratory and mouse studies show targeted drug blocks the growth of breast cancer cells that spread to the brain

Using laboratory and mouse models of human breast cancer, researchers have found that a small molecule capable of targeting specific proteins on the surface of breast cancer cells can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells that migrate to the brain.

29 Jul 2008

FDA approves novel genetic test for patients with breast cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a novel genetic test for determining whether patients with breast cancer are good candidates for treatment with the drug Herceptin (trastuzumab).

8 Jul 2008

Report says cancer clinicians should understand and consider the economic impact of new interventions

Cancer clinicians should understand and consider the economic impact of new interventions, which often have substantial costs, according to a report appearing in the July/August issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

2 Jul 2008

New breast cancer drug combo shrinks aggressive tumours

An international trial of a new breast cancer drug has shown the drug is able to shrink tumours caused by one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.

2 Jun 2008

First patient enrolled in phase III study of Bevacizumab and Trastuzumab in early breast cancer

A new international study for women with HER2-positive breast cancer is open for enrollment. The pivotal BETH (BEvacizumab and Trastuzumab Adjuvant Therapy in HER2-positive Breast Cancer) study is a Phase III clinical research trial that is investigating the benefits of combining two monoclonal antibodies, the anti-angiogenic, bevacizumab (Avastin) and the targeted therapy trastuzumab (Herceptin), together with chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer.

27 May 2008

Combo of Herceptin and chemo a cure for breast cancer

The latest research has shown that the combination of Herceptin and chemotherapy drugs is successful in treating women with aggressive breast cancer.

22 Apr 2008

Herceptin and chemotherapy improves response rates without major adverse effects in HER2 breast cancer

Women with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer seem to do better if they are treated with a combined anthracycline and taxane chemotherapy regimen before surgery, together with trastuzumab (Herceptin) before and after surgery, according to results from the largest multi-centre trial to investigate this treatment.

18 Apr 2008

Double binding sites on tumor target may provide future combination therapy

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues at Merck Serono Research in Germany have found that two drugs bind to receptor sites on some tumors in different places at the same time, suggesting the possibility of a new combination therapy for certain types of cancer.

9 Apr 2008

Benefits of some cancer drugs exaggerated because trials were stopped early

Italian scientists say the benefits of some cancer drugs may be exaggerated as a rising number of trials are stopped early.

9 Apr 2008

Cardiac effects associated with breast cancer treatment appear lower with dose-dense chemotherapy

A new pilot study by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) found that breast cancer patients can be treated safely with a "dose-dense" regimen of standard chemotherapy agents and the antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin), a drug that has previously been shown to cause cardiac toxicity.

11 Mar 2008

Herceptin (Trastuzumab) News and Research

Glowing imaging compound allows detection of viable cancer cells in mice

Researchers find deadly protein that acts as a cancer master switch

Study suggests Siemens non-invasive blood test may have a role in monitoring breast cancer patients' response to Herceptin

Scientists identify dangerous 'two-faced' protein crucial to breast cancer spread and growth

'Intelligent' cancer drug development boosts success rates

Scientists find intra cellular pathway driving a deadly sub-type of breast cancer

Alteration of a gene causes neuroblastoma

Trastuzumab-DM1 - a 'smart bomb' for breast cancer treatment

New research finds way to switch off breast cancer and leukaemia

Gab2 signalling protein switches off breast cancer and leukaemia

Laboratory and mouse studies show targeted drug blocks the growth of breast cancer cells that spread to the brain

FDA approves novel genetic test for patients with breast cancer

Report says cancer clinicians should understand and consider the economic impact of new interventions

New breast cancer drug combo shrinks aggressive tumours

First patient enrolled in phase III study of Bevacizumab and Trastuzumab in early breast cancer

Combo of Herceptin and chemo a cure for breast cancer

Herceptin and chemotherapy improves response rates without major adverse effects in HER2 breast cancer

Double binding sites on tumor target may provide future combination therapy

Benefits of some cancer drugs exaggerated because trials were stopped early

Cardiac effects associated with breast cancer treatment appear lower with dose-dense chemotherapy

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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