Breast Cancer

Breakthrough for Breast Cancer

Results from two large clinical trials involving more than 5,000 women with HER-2 positive invasive breast cancer show that patients who received trastuzumab (Herceptin®) in combination with chemotherapy had a significant decrease in risk for breast cancer recurrence. The risk of recurrence was reduced by 52 percent, when compared with women who received the same chemotherapy without trastuzumab.

"These findings are dramatic," says Mayo Clinic medical oncologist Dr. Edith A. Perez, who chaired the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) trial. "These data confirm that we now have a very potent weapon against the recurrence of cancer cells that overexpress HER-2, which tend to grow fast and are generally more likely to recur." Read the April 25, 2005, news release from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). See the October 19, 2005, news release from Mayo Clinic.

Related Links

Mayo Clinic Breast Care Programs

Breast Clinic in Arizona
Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic in Jacksonville
Breast Diagnostic Clinic in Rochester

Mayo Clinic Breast Imaging Services

Arizona
Rochester

Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer Research

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
Mayo Clinic Women's Cancer Program

Principal Research Collaborators and Supporters

North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG)
National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)
Cancer and Leukemia Group B
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Southwest Oncology Group
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation