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.

Call to speed access to innovative advances for all breast cancer patients

Breast cancer specialists and advocates at the 5th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5) called for patients to have equal and speedy access to new breast cancer treatments and procedures, as soon as they are validated by comparative clinical trials.

28 Mar 2006

New test for detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a paradigm-shifting method for detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood.

13 Mar 2006

British woman loses Herceptin court battle

A mother of three in the UK suffering from the early-stage of an aggressive form of breast cancer, has lost her high court battle to force her health authority to pay for the potentially life-saving drug Herceptin.

16 Feb 2006

Postcode decides whether women receive breast cancer drug Herceptin

A British woman is so desperate to be given access to the breast cancer drug Herceptin that she is prepared to protest at the government's Welsh assembly in the Welsh capital Cardiff.

30 Jan 2006

Mutated oncogene triggers aggressive breast cancer

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a molecular interaction that triggers a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer, and suggest that attacking this target with selective drugs might improve treatment.

18 Jan 2006

Discovery of protein fragment that helps predict breast cancer outcome

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have identified a protein fragment in some human breast cancers that may help predict a patient's chances of survival.

16 Jan 2006

alphaB-crystallin may be a useful molecular marker to identify women with aggressive breast cancer

A groundbreaking study led by Northwestern University researchers has demonstrated that a protein called alphaB-crystallin, which normally protects cells from stress damage, triggers events that may cause breast cancer when overactive.

6 Jan 2006

Herceptin may work better when it is followed by injections of interleukin

A new study suggests that antibody-based cancer drugs might help patients more if they are given with substances that stimulate the immune system.

5 Jan 2006

A good year for breast cancer detection and treatment

It was a good year in women’s health, notably breast cancer treatment and detection. The December issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource hails these important advances of 2005.

29 Dec 2005

Targeted cancer therapies: Another step forward

While it is clear that the treatment of cancer has already begun to undergo a paradigm shift with the inclusion of innovative targeted therapies into current regimens, it would be wrong to assume these products will entirely replace traditional chemotherapy as the standard treatment for cancer sufferers.

22 Dec 2005

Targeted cancer therapies: Another step forward

22 Dec 2005

Gene mapping project promises new targeted cancer therapies

Government researchers in the United States have this week launched a pilot project to find all the little genetic changes that cause cancer in the hope it will lead to a whole new world of targeted cancer therapy.

14 Dec 2005

NHS under pressure to provide new breast cancer drugs

The National Health Service in the UK is being put under considerable pressure by Cancer charities to widen access to a promising new class of breast cancer drug as new evidence suggests the latest treatment is far superior to Tamoxifen, the long established premier drug for women with the early stage of the disease.

12 Dec 2005

Herceptin - can healthcare afford this expensive drug?

New research into the cost of using the breast cancer drug Herceptin warns that healthcare authorities and the organisations advising them should not rush to prescribe it for early breast cancer without working out extremely carefully the budget implications and cost-effectiveness of the drug.

2 Dec 2005

Difficult decisions ahead over Herceptin breast cancer drug

According to Belgian researchers a drug prescribed for women with advanced breast cancer would be cost-effective for treating some, but not all patients, in the early stages of the disease.

30 Nov 2005

Tamoxifen reduces long-term risk of cancer

According to a new study released this week, women at high risk for breast cancer who take the well-known drug Tamoxifen, can reduce their long-term risk of developing the disease.

16 Nov 2005

Cannabis-based medicine given go-ahead to treat MS patients

Sufferers in the UK from multiple sclerosis and possibly rheumatoid arthritis, will welcome the news that they will soon be able to obtain an unlicensed, cannabis-based medicine on prescription to treat their illness.

16 Nov 2005

Lancet warns Herceptin breast cancer drug 'over hyped'

The Lancet medical journal which is both influential and well respected, has cast some doubt on the claims that Herceptin was "a cure" for breast cancer and has attacked the hype surrounding the treatment by the Government and the media.

10 Nov 2005

Refusal to give new breast cancer drug lands health authority in court

British health secretary Patricia Hewitt has become embroiled in a row over the provision of the revolutionary breast cancer drug Herceptin.

9 Nov 2005

Herceptin results beg questions on equal access to expensive drugs

The recent press coverage on the use of Herceptin (brand name for the drug trastuzumab) for treating breast cancer in its early stages shows that issues of equal access to costly but effective drugs must be confronted, says an editorial in the British Medical Journal.

7 Nov 2005