Herceptin and aromatase inhibitor?
Meet the Experts
Andrew D. Seidman, M.D. is an attending physician for the Breast Cancer Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and a professor of medicine, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. is a breast cancer oncologist at Paoli Hematology-Oncology Associates in Paoli, Pa., with a special interest in physicians' communication skills.
Question from Joan: When is a therapy combining Herceptin and an aromatase inhibitor (and which one?) indicated?
- Answers —Andrew Seidman, M.D.: The use of Herceptin and hormonal therapies in combination has not yet been tested in randomized clinical trials, unlike the situation of Herceptin and chemotherapy, where we clearly understand both the benefits and the risks of combination of chemotherapy agents and Herceptin. While laboratory data would lead us to suspect a benefit for the combination of Herceptin and aromatase inhibitors, it is hard to recommend this as a standard of care since we still await the results of definitive clinical trials to clarify the use of this strategy.
- Jennifer Armstrong, M.D.: Dr. Seidman, are you aware if these studies are ongoing at this time?
- Andrew Seidman, M.D.: The studies are ongoing. I'm not aware of how close to completion they are. I believe one trial was focused on the use of Femara (chemical name: letrozole) plus or minus Herceptin in patients with estrogen-receptor-positive and HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
On Wednesday, July 19, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Targeted Therapies: What is Right for You?Andrew Seidman, M.D. and moderator Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. answered your questions about different kinds of targeted therapies and how they work.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
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