Phase II study of trastuzumab emtansine versus trastuzumab plus docetaxel for metastatic breast cancer

Source: JCO Area: News According to the results of a randomised Phase II study reported early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) was associated with an improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with trastuzumab plus docetaxel.   The authors note that trastuzumab plus taxane-based chemotherapy has been shown to be associated with improved outcomes versus chemotherapy alone in the first-line treatment of HER2-positive MBC. However MBC will eventually progress in most patients and chemotherapy-associated toxicity is a significant cause of patient morbidity; more effective and better tolerated treatments are therefore needed in this setting. T-DM1 is an antibody-drug conjugate composed of the cytotoxic agent DM1 conjugated to trastuzumab, and this has been shown in previous single-arm studies to demonstrate encouraging efficacy with a tolerable safety profile. The purpose of the ...
Source: NeLM - News - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news