Herceptin with Arimidex shows efficacy in co-positive breast cancer patients

Swiss drug major Roche says that a combination of Herceptin (trastuzumab) and AstraZeneca's hormonal therapy Arimidex (anastrozole) increased progression-free survival time in patients with advanced breast cancer. Moreover, the firm added that the beneficial effects of the combined therapy were observed in study subjects suffering from both hormone receptor-positive and HER-2 positive forms of the disease.

TAnDEM study evaluates Herceptin

Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, which is characterized by the hormonal stimulation of tumor development, represents around 66% of all breast cancer cases and can be treated successfully with hormonal therapies. However, approximately one quarter of HRP breast cancers are also HER2-positive which is an aggressive form of the illness in which rapid tumor growth is mediated by the overexpression of the HER2 protein on the surface of cancerous cells. HER2 cancers require immediate treatment as they can develop very rapidly and increase the risk of disease relapse.