Trastuzumab Plus Vinorelbine May Be an Effective Alternative for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

According to a new study published in the journal Current Oncology, trastuzumab and vinorelbine is an effective alternative to standard taxane-based chemotherapy for patients with early stage or locally advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer.

Researchers at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, sought to investigate through a retrospective analysis whether trastuzumab plus vinorelbine is a viable alternative to a taxane plus an anthracycline. Some patients refuse to this standard backbone of chemotherapy regimens for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer because of its common adverse effect of alopecia. In addition, some patients may have a contraindication to receive either of those drugs.

For the study, researchers identified 46 patients with a mean age of 64 years who received trastuzumab plus vinorelbine beetween 2003 and 2010. Most patients received the combination therapy weekly for 6 months, followed by trastuzumab alone for 6 months. Results showed a median 5-year overall survival rate of 94% and a median 5-year cancer-specific survival rate of 98%.

One patient died as a result of febrile neutropenia-induced sepsis. The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse effects included neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, fatigue, and anemia.