Trastuzumab resistance in breast cancer

Abstract

The amplification and expression of ERBB2 have been linked with prognosis and response to therapy with the anti-HER-2-humanised monoclonal antibody, trastuzumab, in patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer. However, one of the major clinical problems encountered with trastuzumab treatment is that metastatic breast cancer patients, who initially responded to trastuzumab, showed disease progression within 1 year from treatment initiation. Several studies have already reported or speculated on potential mechanisms of resistance to trastuzumab. Despite these important leads, there is/are no biomarker(s) that can reliably predict lack of benefit from trastuzumab, which in turn can be used for subsequent clinical trial development and/or individual therapeutic decisions. © Springer Basel AG 2011.