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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Breast cancer patients resistant to the drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) may soon get a treatment more tailored to their needs.
Researchers at Harvard and Yale Universities used gene chips to find subtypes of breast cancer resistant to Herceptin, the main treatment for patients with HER2 positive tumors. This could help refine therapy for the 25 percent to 30 percent of patients with this class of tumor.
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The report reveals HER2 positive tumors that did not respond to Herceptin had certain basal markers, growth factors and growth factor receptors. Also, resistant tumors continue over-expressing the HER2 growth factor protein. Researchers report this is important because it contradicts a previously held belief about resistant tumors.
"Herceptin has revolutionized the care of HER2-positive breast cancer for many patients but, unfortunately, not for some," reports lead author Lyndsay Harris, M.D., from Yale University Medical Center in New Haven, Conn. "This work demonstrates that digging deeper into the molecular subtypes of these tumors helps us understand why some tumors are resistant and may point to ways to remedy that."
If more studies confirm these findings, Dr. Harris reports it may be possible to treat patients resistant to Herceptin with additional drugs to restore Herceptin sensitivity. She adds the goal is to evaluate the tumor first, then tailor therapy accordingly.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Clinical Cancer Research, 2007;13:1198-1207
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