Herceptin News and Research

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FDA grants approval to first biosimilar for treatment of patients with breast, stomach cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ogivri (trastuzumab-dkst) as a biosimilar to Herceptin (trastuzumab) for the treatment of patients with breast or metastatic stomach cancer (gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma) whose tumors overexpress the HER2 gene (HER2+).

4 Dec 2017

Patients with rare diseases and congress square off over orphan drug tax credits

As President Donald Trump talked tax reform on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Arkansas patient advocate Andrea Taylor was also meeting with lawmakers and asking them to save a corporate tax credit for rare disease drug companies.

30 Nov 2017

Genetic diversity of tumor tissues can be barrier to precision medicine in gastric and esophageal cancers

A new study focused on describing genetic variations within a primary tumor, differences between the primary and a metastatic branch of that tumor, and additional diversity found in tumor DNA in the blood stream could help physicians make better treatment choices for patients with gastric and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

15 Nov 2017

Rogue messengers can negatively affect the body's immune system response against cancer

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have made a discovery around treatment-resistant breast cancer that may turn the phrase, 'don't shoot the messenger', on its head. The scientists have found that cell to cell messengers released by cancer cells which are not responding to treatment, can negatively affect the body's immune system response against cancer.

28 Sep 2017

Adding a second HER2-targeted treatment may improve outcomes for some women with breast cancer

A phase III clinical trial of 4,805 women with HER2-positive breast cancer suggests adding a second HER2 targeted medicine, pertuzumab (Perjeta), to standard of care trastuzumab (Herceptin) after surgery may help, although the benefit is modest.

6 Jun 2017

Scientists identify biomarkers to predict patient’s response to breast cancer treatment

Why do some breast cancers respond to treatment while others resist it? A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center may provide insight into this important question.

8 Dec 2016

Brain metastasis persists in women with HER2-positive breast cancer despite new targeted therapies

While new targeted treatments developed across the past two decades have led to dramatic survival improvements for women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and collaborators report that rates of breast cancer brain metastasis for women with this disease have not substantially declined.

7 Dec 2016

Study shows heart medications prevent cardiovascular damage during breast cancer treatment

Heart medication taken in combination with chemotherapy reduces the risk of serious cardiovascular damage in patients with early-stage breast cancer, according to results from a new landmark clinical trial.

29 Nov 2016

New NIST Standard Reference Material helps ensure accurate measurements of HER2 breast cancer gene

A new measurement standard developed by the National Institute of Standards of Technology has been used successfully by the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research to check the performance of next-generation DNA-sequencing technologies for evaluating gene variations associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

18 Aug 2016

Researchers uncover one way breast cancer tumors resist vital medication

A team of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine cancer researchers has uncovered one way certain tumors resist vital medication.

11 Aug 2016

Updated guidelines for breast cancer increase number of patients who test HER2-positive

Changes to HER2 testing guidelines for breast cancer in 2013 significantly increased the number of patients who test HER2-positive, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic researchers published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

28 Jul 2016

Penn study provides more insights into cardiovascular side effects of breast cancer drug

A receptor protein that is the target of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) is needed for proper heart blood-vessel development, reported researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

14 Jul 2016

Imaging technique could help doctors identify patients who may benefit breast cancer treatment

Cancer Research UK scientists have used imaging techniques as a new way to identify patients who could benefit from certain breast cancer treatments, according to a study published in ONCOTARGET today, (Thursday).

8 Jul 2016

Scientists find new way to slow growth of triple negative breast cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have found a new way to slow the growth of the most aggressive type of breast cancer, according to research published in the journal Oncogene today (Monday).

14 Jun 2016

First large-scale proteogenomic study helps pinpoint genes that drive breast cancer

Building on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas project, a multi-institutional team of scientists has completed the first large-scale "proteogenomic" study of breast cancer, linking DNA mutations to protein signaling and helping pinpoint the genes that drive cancer.

26 May 2016

Single breath-hold for more than five minutes could make targeted radiotherapy feasible

Researchers at the University of Birmingham working with clinical teams at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust have successfully shown for the first time that breast cancer patients can be trained to achieve single prolonged breath holds of over five minutes, opening the door for targeted radiotherapy to be administered with just one dose in each daily session.

12 May 2016

Herceptin drugs for breast cancer linked with increased risk of congestive heart failure

Breast cancer patients undergoing treatment with trastuzumab-containing regimens should be monitored for heart damage regardless of age. This is among the findings of a new study from the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University Health Network.

20 Apr 2016

Study reveals low rates of targeted drug use among older black women with early-stage breast cancer

The advent of targeted drugs for a specific type of breast cancer - HER2 positive - has dramatically improved survival rates for women with the disease. But a study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center reveals low rates of use of a targeted drug among older women with early-stage breast cancer of this type, and even lower rates for older black women.

13 Apr 2016

Neo-Bioscore staging system adds HER2 status for precise prognostic stratification of breast cancer subtypes

A new breast cancer staging system developed by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center finds that incorporating tumor biology is a critical prognostic indicator for women who undergo neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, therapy for breast cancer.

18 Mar 2016

Multi-gene test can help identify early breast cancer patients who can safely be spared chemotherapy

Researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to use a multi-gene test to identify patients with early breast cancer who can be spared chemotherapy and who will still be alive and well five years after diagnosis.

11 Mar 2016