International Journal of Hematology and Oncology 2023, Vol 33, Num 4 Page(s): 184-192
The Use of Trastuzumab in Adjuvant Setting for Early Stage Breast Cancer

İlhan ÖZTOP

Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Onkoloji Enstitüsü

Keywords: Early breast cancer, Adjuvant treatment, Trastuzumab
Adjuvant treatment with chemotherapy and endocrine therapy reduces markedly rates of recurrence and death due to breast cancer. However, overexpression of HER-2 protein, amplification of the HER-2 gene occur in approximately 15 to 25 percent of breast cancers, and are associated with high risk of recurrence. Trastuzumab, a recombinant monoclonal antibody against HER-2, has been used succesfully in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses HER-2. These results have lead to design trials that testing its role in the adjuvant setting. Recently, four major randomized trials about the adjuvant use of trastuzumab in breast cancer patients have been performed and published. In this review it is aimed to summarize four important adjuvant trastuzumab trials and to discuss its role in the adjuvant treatment.