Study confirms everolimus can overcome trastuzumab resistance in HER-2 positive early breast cancer

A study that aimed to understand how the cancer drug everolimus helps overcome the resistance breast cancers can develop to trastuzumab, the active ingredient of Swiss drug major Roche’s (ROG: SIX) Herceptin, has left researchers contemplating a puzzle.

The study showed a statistically non-significant benefit in clinical response rates for some patients with early breast cancer when everolimus, Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) Afinitor, was added to treatment with trastuzumab. Yet the results suggest this benefit is achieved independently of the molecular pathways researchers expected would be involved.

Mario Campone, principal investigator at the Institut Cancerologie de l'Ouest in Nantes, France, presented the findings at the 5th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium, reported by EurekAlert. The IMPAKT meeting presents cutting edge, translational breast cancer research that is beginning to have an impact for patients.