The purpose of this study is to find out what effects the preoperative combination therapies of herceptin/navelbine or herceptin/taxotere/carboplatin will have on patients with early stage HER-2 positive breast cancer.
Before starting treatment, a clip will be placed via catheter into the tumor bed, so the surgeon can locate the site of the tumor. During clip placement, tissue biopsy will be taken of the tumor. One to two weeks after the first dose of herceptin another biopsy will be performed. Patients will be placed into one of 2 arms. * Arm 1 receives 12 weeks of herceptin and navelbine. Arm 2 receives 4 cycles of taxotere/carboplatin/herceptin. * Arm 2 participants will also receive neulasta (growth factor support) on day 2 of each cycle. Phase A of Arm 1 is one dose of herceptin followed by an MRI of the affected breast and a second biopsy 1-2 weeks following this dose. Phase B of Arm 1 begins on week 3 and ends on week 14 and involves weekly injections of herceptin and navelbine. Surgery will take place a minimum of 3 weeks after the patients last dose of herceptin and navelbine. Phase A of Arm 2 is one dose of herceptin followed by an MRI of the affected breast and second biopsy 1-2 weeks following this dose. Phase B of Arm 2 begins on week 3 and ends on week 14 and involves herceptin weekly, taxotere and carboplatin every 3 weeks. Surgery will take place a minimum of 3 weeks after the patients last dose of herceptin, taxotere and carboplatin. Blood tests will be performed every 3 weeks during pre-operative treatment and every 6 months after surgery.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
81
Yale Cancer Center
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Pathological Complete Response After Preoperative Therapy With Herceptin/Navelbine Versus Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin in Patients With HER-2 Positive Early Breast Cancer
Pathological Complete Response is defined as the complete disappearance of invasive tumor in the breast at the time of surgery
Time frame: 12 weeks
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Given every three weeks starting week 3 and ending on week 14