OBJECTIVETo summarize the clinical experience of trastuzumab treatment in neoadjuvant, adjuvant, metastatic setting of Chinese patients with Her-2 positive breast cancer and evaluate the efficacy of trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy.

METHODSFrom January 2004 to December 2008, 141 outpatients with breast cancer treated with trastuzumab were investigated retrospectively. The follow-up time ranged from 3 to 319 months. The disease free survival time (DFS) of metastatic setting was calculated. The overall survival time (OS), time to treatment failure (TTF) and clinical response rate (CRR, including complete response, partial response and stable disease) of adjuvant, first-line, second-line therapy were analyzed statistically.

RESULTSIn the neoadjuvant regimen, paclitaxel plus carboplatin in combination with trastuzumab accounted for 66.7%, which achieved pathological complete response in 10 of 16 patients. In the adjuvant regimen, anthracycline or anthracycline followed by taxane accounted for 53.9%. The median DFS of 57 cases with metastatic diseases was 17 months. The CRR of first-line trastuzumab use in metastatic setting was 84.5%, compared with 44.4% of second-line use. The median TTF of first-line treatment was 24 months compared with 5 months of second-line treatment. Statistically significant differences were observed.

CONCLUSIONThe regimen of paclitaxel plus carboplatin in combination with trastuzumab deserves wide clinical use. In metastatic setting, first-line treatment of trastuzumab plus chemotherapy can achieve a higher response rate than second-line treatment. Continued trastuzumab therapy combined with different chemotherapy treatment after disease progression may obtain additive clinical advantage.