<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Background. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer is an entity with aggressive behaviour. One year of adjuvant trastuzumab significantly improves the disease free survival in the range of 40-50% and reduces the risk of dying from HER2 positive breast cancer by one third. Adjuvant treatment with trastuzumab became available in Slovenia in 2005 and the aim of this study is to explore, if the exceptional results reported in adjuvant clinical trials are achieved also in daily clinical practice. Patients and methods. An analysis of tumour and patient characteristics, type of treatment and outcome (relapse free and overall survival) of 313 patients (median age 52 years) treated at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana in years 2005-2009 was performed. Results. Median follow-up was 4.4 years. Sixty-one patients relapsed and 24 died. Three and four years relapse free survival was 84.2% and 80.8% and the overall survival was 94.4% and 92.5%, respectively. Independent prognostic factors for relapse were tumour grade (HR 2.10; 95% CI 1.07-4.14; p = 0.031) and nodal stage (HR 1.35; 1.16-1.56; p &lt; 0.0001) and for the overall survival nodal stage only (HR 1.36; 1.05-1.78; p = 0.021). Conclusions. The outcome in patients with adjuvant trastuzumab in daily clinical practice, treated by medical oncologists, is comparable to results obtained in international adjuvant studies.</abstract>

Background. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer is an entity with aggressive behaviour. One year of adjuvant trastuzumab significantly improves the disease free survival in the range of 40-50% and reduces the risk of dying from HER2 positive breast cancer by one third. Adjuvant treatment with trastuzumab became available in Slovenia in 2005 and the aim of this study is to explore, if the exceptional results reported in adjuvant clinical trials are achieved also in daily clinical practice. Patients and methods. An analysis of tumour and patient characteristics, type of treatment and outcome (relapse free and overall survival) of 313 patients (median age 52 years) treated at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana in years 2005-2009 was performed. Results. Median follow-up was 4.4 years. Sixty-one patients relapsed and 24 died. Three and four years relapse free survival was 84.2% and 80.8% and the overall survival was 94.4% and 92.5%, respectively. Independent prognostic factors for relapse were tumour grade (HR 2.10; 95% CI 1.07-4.14; p = 0.031) and nodal stage (HR 1.35; 1.16-1.56; p < 0.0001) and for the overall survival nodal stage only (HR 1.36; 1.05-1.78; p = 0.021). Conclusions. The outcome in patients with adjuvant trastuzumab in daily clinical practice, treated by medical oncologists, is comparable to results obtained in international adjuvant studies.

Effectiveness of adjuvant trastuzumab in daily clinical practice

Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Department of Medical Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Radiology and Oncology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Effectiveness of adjuvant trastuzumab in daily clinical practice"}

Background. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer is an entity with aggressive behaviour. One year of adjuvant trastuzumab...

Effectiveness of adjuvant trastuzumab in daily clinical practice

Published Online: Nov 05, 2014

Page range: 403 - 407

Received: Aug 30, 2013

Accepted: Oct 14, 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2013-0081

Keywords
breast cancer, trastuzumab, adjuvant, daily clinical practice

© by Erika Matos

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Effectiveness of adjuvant trastuzumab in daily clinical practice

Published Online: Nov 05, 2014

Page range: 403 - 407

Received: Aug 30, 2013

Accepted: Oct 14, 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2013-0081

Keywordsbreast cancer, trastuzumab, adjuvant, daily clinical practice

© by Erika Matos

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
breast cancer, trastuzumab, adjuvant, daily clinical practice