Media release
04 April 2007
Clinical guidelines released on use of breast cancer drug Herceptin®
The National Breast Cancer Centre has released clinical practice guidelines for the use of the drug Herceptin® (trastuzumab) in the treatment of women with HER2-positive breast cancer.
Herceptin® was added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in October 2006 for the treatment of women with HER2-positive early breast cancer. It was previously subsidised only for women with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.
“The National Breast Cancer Centre’s guidelines provide guidance for clinicians about the use of Herceptin® in the treatment of both early and advanced disease,” said Dr Helen Zorbas, Director of the National Breast Cancer Centre.
“The guidelines provide statements and recommendations based on the best available evidence,” said Dr Zorbas.
The guidelines were developed with input from a multidisciplinary working group and have been endorsed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Faculty of Radiation Oncology at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.
The guidelines recommend:
For women with HER2-positive early breast cancer
• Herceptin® should be offered with chemotherapy following surgery
• Patients should be monitored for signs of heart problems every three months
For women with HER2-positive metastatic (or advanced) breast cancer
• Herceptin® should be offered with chemotherapy as first-line treatment
• Herceptin® can also be offered alone to patients who have already received chemotherapy or in patients for whom chemotherapy is not appropriate
The guidelines also examine possible side effects of Herceptin® noting that when taken with certain types of chemotherapy, the drug can cause heart problems. The guidelines recommend that patients with a history of significant pre-existing heart problems or those receiving anthracyclines should not receive Herceptin®.
Notes:
• Recent international studies have shown that Herceptin® significantly decreases the risk of breast cancer recurring and the risk of death for women with HER2-positive early breast cancer.
• ‘HER2-positive’ means these patients overexpress a particular protein called HER2 on their cancer cells. Approximately 20 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have HER2-positive breast cancer – a more aggressive form of the disease.
• Herceptin® is a targeted breast cancer therapy that works by attaching itself to the HER2 protein on cancer cells to stop their growth and multiplication.
The National Breast Cancer Centre is funded by the Australian Government and works with consumers, health professionals, cancer organisations, researchers and governments to improve health outcomes in breast and ovarian cancer.
Media contact: Bree Stevens 0438 209 833