Expert review of anticancer therapy
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Aug 2012
ReviewPrimary systemic therapy in HER2-amplified breast cancer: a clinical review.
Primary systemic therapy (PST) in early breast cancer is utilized in locally advanced breast tumors and when breast-conserving surgery is desirable. In addition, the PST setting provides an opportunity to monitor response including histopathological and biomarker examination of the tumor and host tissues before and after systemic therapy. ⋯ Trastuzumab has also shown promising activity in PST/neoadjuvant studies by achieving high rates of complete pathologic response. This is a review of clinical studies that incorporated trastuzumab in PST and/or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, including the results of recently reported studies using trastuzumab in combination with other novel therapies such as lapatinib or pertuzumab.
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Radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy has been controversial and no consensus has developed on the most appropriate use of radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy. In the last decade the results of three randomized controlled trials examining the effects of early radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk features (positive surgical margins, extracapsular extension and seminal vesical involvement) have been published. ⋯ Specifically, early radiotherapy reduces the risk of biochemical recurrence, improves clinical disease-free survival, decreases the utilization of salvage androgen suppression and, in the study with longest follow-up, early radiotherapy improves overall survival. This article will review the evidence, provide a commentary on the existing evidence, and describe key issues going forward (timing of radiotherapy, androgen suppression and radiotherapy techniques).