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Trastuzumab Resistance in Breast Cancer

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Drugs for HER-2-positive Breast Cancer

Part of the book series: Milestones in Drug Therapy ((MDT))

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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.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oncologia Medica, Dipartimento di Internistica clinica e sperimentale “F. Magrassi A. Lanzara”, Seconda Università degli studi di Napoli, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131, Napoli, Italy

    Fortunato Ciardiello

Authors
  1. Floriana Morgillo
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  2. Michele Orditura
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  3. Teresa Troiani
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  4. Erika Martinelli
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  5. Ferdinando De Vita
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  6. Fortunato Ciardiello
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fortunato Ciardiello .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical University of Vienna, Department of Medicine I, Institute for Cancer Research, Borschkegasse 8a, Vienna, 1090, Austria

    Maria Sibilia

  2. Medical University of Vienna, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, Vienna, 1090, Austria

    Christoph C. Zielinski

  3. Medical University of Vienna, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, Vienna, 1090, Austria

    Rupert Bartsch

  4. Medical University of Vienna, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, Vienna, 1090, Austria

    Thomas W. Grunt

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© 2011 Springer Basel

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Morgillo, F., Orditura, M., Troiani, T., Martinelli, E., De Vita, F., Ciardiello, F. (2011). Trastuzumab Resistance in Breast Cancer. In: Sibilia, M., Zielinski, C., Bartsch, R., Grunt, T. (eds) Drugs for HER-2-positive Breast Cancer. Milestones in Drug Therapy. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0346-0094-1_3

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