Herceptin (trastuzumab)

P1/2, N=42, Not yet recruiting, Duke University | Initiation date: Feb 2026 --> Jul 2026

Conjugation of nanoparticles with Herceptin® (trastuzumab) significantly increased cellular uptake and anticancer activity, especially in clathrin-deficient SK-BR-3 cells that overexpress ERBB2. These findings establish that the easily synthesized PL-MNP-pBIRC5/As-BIRC5 and PL-MNP-pBIRC5/dN-BIRC5 nanodrugs have strong potential to overcome BIRC5- and ABCB1-related drug resistance, representing a broadly applicable strategy against various malignancies. While the size of our nanodrug (~400 nm in hydrodynamic diameter) is compatible with reported effective nanoparticle sizes in some models, the extent to which the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect contributes to tumor accumulation in human cancers remains uncertain and will require validation in more clinically relevant models and imaging modalities.

These results indicate a synergistic interaction between tras tuzumab and blood serum in both groups. We also found significant differences in CI values between healthy donors and breast cancer patients: blood serum samples from patients enhance the effect of trastuzumab to a greater extent.

P2, N=54, Not yet recruiting, National Taiwan University Hospital

P=N/A, N=13, Terminated, University of Washington | Active, not recruiting --> Terminated; Study closed to accrual after meeting grant enrollment goal, prior to reaching protocol accrual goal, due to end of funding.

Failure to correct a vitamin D deficiency was associated with a 1.7-fold higher recurrence risk, although the relationship did not achieve statistical significance. A similar effect size was reported in another retrospective cohort of HER2-positive breast cancer that did achieve statistical significance, and a doubling of pCR rates was seen in two recently completed RCTs in 2025, with benefits particularly seen in the triple-negative and HER2-positive subtypes. Prospective trials evaluating optimized vitamin D repletion in HER2-positive breast cancer are warranted.

This retrospective single-center study included 75 patients with HER2-positive invasive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus dual anti-HER2 blockade (trastuzumab and pertuzumab). Given the modest discriminative performance and lack of external validation, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Further validation in larger independent cohorts is required before the score can be considered for clinical stratification or implementation.

In patients with HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant trastuzumab, the percentage of TILs, stroma type, and PD-L1 expression are prognostically relevant. Specifically, a TILs percentage >50% independently predicts favorable outcomes. Routine evaluation of stromal features may provide additional prognostic information and support treatment planning.

Background/Objectives: While doxorubicin (DOX) and trastuzumab (TRZ) improve overall survival in women with breast cancer, these two anti-cancer drugs increase the risk of developing heart failure. As a novel and largely unexplored approach, our aim was to evaluate whether the prophylactic use of the sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin (EMPA), with and without the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril (PER), is cardioprotective in preventing DOX + TRZ-mediated cardiotoxicity...Finally, although the Bax/Bcl-xL ratio was significantly elevated by 1.5-fold in mice treated with DOX + TRZ, this marker of apoptosis was attenuated by prophylactic treatment with either PER, EMPA, or EMPA + PER. Prophylactic administration of EMPA mitigated adverse cardiovascular remodeling in a chronic in vivo model of DOX + TRZ-mediated cardiotoxicity.

We report a 51-year-old woman with prior hormone receptor-negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast invasive ductal carcinoma (bilateral mastectomy, adjuvant trastuzumab/pertuzumab, radiation) who developed abrupt painful erythematous nodules of both legs and progressive polyarthralgia of the hands, knees, and ankles. Coordinated multidisciplinary care, oncology-directed chemotherapy, interventional pain management, and psychological support, improved pain control and mobility. This case adds to the limited pancreatitis, panniculitis, and polyarthritis literature and highlights that absent gastrointestinal symptoms can delay diagnosis; early recognition and collaborative management are essential in malignant pancreatitis, panniculitis, and polyarthritis presentations.

Pertuzumab retreatment was not associated with clinically meaningful deterioration in HRQoL. These findings support the use of dual HER2 blockade beyond progression in appropriately selected patients.