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.

Substance found in evening primrose oil inhibits breast cancer gene

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a substance in evening primrose oil and several other plant oils used in herbal medicine, inhibits action of Her-2/neu, a cancer gene that is responsible for almost 30 percent of all breast cancers, Northwestern University researchers report.

3 Nov 2005

First study to confirm the benefit of anti-angiogenic therapy in patients with breast cancer

Results from the first and only interim analysis of an important trial assessing the potential of Herceptin (trastuzumab) to improve disease-free survival (DFS) in HER-2 positive breast cancer patients after adjuvant chemotherapy, have shown that Herceptin affords a significant survival advantage.

1 Nov 2005

Way now clear for use of costly breast cancer drug throughout UK

Health managers in the UK have virtually been ordered to pay for the drug Herceptin for women with an aggressive form of breast cancer in its early stages.

26 Oct 2005

New treatments suggest that cancer is on the run!

People suffering from cancer will be encouraged by a cluster of recent reports on successful new treatments for several different forms of cancer.

24 Oct 2005

Breast cancer drug Herceptin a 'stunner'

According to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) the first trials of the breast cancer drug, Herceptin, tested on women with early stage disease are "simply stunning".

20 Oct 2005

Herceptin results "quite remarkable"

The targeted drug trastuzumab, or Herceptin, previously shown to prolong survival in advanced breast cancer, dramatically reduced the chances of recurrence in patients with early-stage disease when given for one year following standard chemotherapy.

19 Oct 2005

Herceptin therapy highly superior to standard breast cancer treatment

In a joint paper, co-authored by Mayo Clinic's Edith Perez, M.D., and Edward Romond, M.D., of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), researchers report complete and combined results of two trials comparing adjuvant chemotherapy with or without concurrent trastuzumab treatment in women with surgically removed HER2-positive breast cancer.

19 Oct 2005

Court victory means breast cancer drug Herceptin will be available to more women

The court victory of British woman Barbara Clark to be treated with the breast cancer drug Herceptin, means that now more than 100 breast cancer patients in Cornwall and Devon could soon be prescribed the drug.

19 Oct 2005

Discovery establishes a role for the gene Rsf-1 in ovarian cancer

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers have linked alterations in a gene, called Rsf-1, to the most deadly ovarian cancers. The scientists say the discovery is the first to establish a role for the gene in ovarian cancer and may lead to a test that can predict, early on, which patients will develop aggressive disease.

3 Oct 2005

Important breast cancer discovery

Scientists at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) have made an important discovery that will advance our understanding of how the female hormone estrogen causes growth of breast cancer cells. The research, in collaboration with scientists at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) identifies 153 genes that respond to estrogen and one in particular that can be used to halt the growth of breast cancer cells.

10 Aug 2005

Gene that regulates normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast cancer

A gene that appears to help regulate normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast cancer, according to a new study led by Laszlo Radvanyi, Ph.D., associate professor of breast and melanoma medical oncology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

25 Jul 2005

Government in Ontario will pay for three new cancer drugs

Canadian Health Minister George Smitherman has announced that the government will add three new and expensive cancer-fighting drugs to the list of medications it funds.

25 Jul 2005

Breast cancer drug Herceptin soon to be widely available on NHS

The British health secretary Patricia Hewitt has ordered a fast-track assessment of Herceptin, a drug which has shown great promise in treating the early stages of breast cancer.

23 Jul 2005

New breast cancer drug not available to all who need it

Unless things change breast cancer patient Barbara Clark will probably have to sell her house to pay for an expensive drug called Herceptin.

28 Jun 2005

The CMS demonstration project in oncology

The PricewaterhouseCoopers study that the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) commissioned shows that an estimated $13 billion will be saved from Medicare spending for cancer care through 2013. This is $8.8 billion more than the original intent of Congress in passing the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA).

22 Jun 2005

Herceptin could be used safely for bladder cancer

A targeted drug shown to improve the outcome of certain breast cancer patients may be of use in the treatment of advanced cases of bladder cancer, according to new research led by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

15 May 2005

New breast cancer drug combo could save thousands of lives

New hope has been given to thousands of women living in dread of the return of an aggressive form of breast cancer.

26 Apr 2005

Herceptin in combination with chemotherapy reduces risk of breast cancer recurrence in women with with early-stage breast cancer

Results from two clinical trials show that patients with early-stage breast cancer who received trastuzumab (Herceptin) in combination with chemotherapy had a 52 percent decrease in risk for breast cancer recurrence, compared with patients who received the same chemotherapy without the drug. The difference is statistically highly significant.

26 Apr 2005

Herceptin provides hope to new breast cancer sufferers

According to new research, Herceptin, Genentech's breast cancer treatment has shown promise in treating the early stages of breast cancer.

25 Apr 2005

Breast cancer gene may play a major role in the recurrence of prostate cancer

A gene associated with breast cancer also may play a major role in the recurrence of prostate cancer, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

20 Apr 2005