Steady Progress against HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Trastuzumab is active against the overexpressed HER2 oncogene in breast cancer, and four published prospective, randomized trials have shown that adjuvant trastuzumab substantially reduces rates of recurrence and death in patients with early-stage disease.1 However, to quote Bernard Fisher of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project: “The hallmark of a good clinical trial is that it raises more questions than it answers.”A critical question is whether adjuvant anthracyclines are necessary for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. In this issue of the Journal, Slamon et al. report the results of a fifth prospective, randomized trial, the Breast . . .