US Pharm. 2010;35(1)(Oncology suppl):13.
Results of a recent study presented at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showed that tumors shrank in one-third of women with metastatic breast cancer who were given a new, targeted therapy. The drug, T-DM1, combines Herceptin (trastuzumab) with the potent cytotoxic agent maytansine. Women in the study had previously been unsuccessfully treated with an average of seven other chemotherapy drugs, including trastuzumab, lapatinib, and capecitabine. Tumor growth stopped for at least 6 months in 12% of patients. “The women remained cancer-free for an average of 7 months—results unheard of in patients this sick,” said Ian Krop, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
T-DM1 targets the protein HER2, which is found in about 20% of patients with breast cancer. Side effects included fatigue and nausea, commonly seen with chemo-therapy. The drug is also being studied in patients with earlier stages of breast cancer.
