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Brain metastases in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab

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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess whether trastuzumab usage is a risk factor for the development of brain metastasis (BM) in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and factors affecting survival after development of BM.

Materials and methods

One hundred thirty-two patients treated with (treatment group) or without trastuzumab (control group) with brain metastasis were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Ninety of the 132 HER2-positive MBC patients were in the treatment group and 42 were in the control group. BM was significantly increased in patients who were treated with trastuzumab in two or more lines (58.5 vs 24.1 %, p < 0.001). Trastuzumab and lapatinib usage after BM and age were independent prognostic factors for overall survival in univariate and multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

The risk for BM was increased in patients who were treated with trastuzumab in two or more lines. Using trastuzumab and lapatinib after BM and age were independent prognostic factors for time to death from BM.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest or funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, Dicle University School of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey

    Muhammet Ali Kaplan, Mehmet Kucukoner, Ali İnal, Zuhat Urakci & Abdurrahman Isikdogan

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Dicle University School of Medicine, 21280, Diyarbakir, Turkey

    Hamza Ertugrul & Zafer Pekkolay

  3. Department of Pathology, Dicle University School of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey

    Ugur Firat

Authors
  1. Muhammet Ali Kaplan
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  2. Hamza Ertugrul
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  3. Ugur Firat
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  8. Abdurrahman Isikdogan
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Correspondence to Muhammet Ali Kaplan.

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Kaplan, M.A., Ertugrul, H., Firat, U. et al. Brain metastases in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab. Breast Cancer 22, 503–509 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-013-0513-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-013-0513-z

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