Abstract
Breast cancer that is characterized by amplification or over expression of human epidermal
growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) accounts for 15% to 20% of all forms of the disease.
Although HER2 amplification has been associated with aggressive disease behavior and
poor prognosis, the development and availability of a number of HER2-targeted agents
has led to improved outcomes for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer,
with data suggesting that overall survival has substantially improved in the past
2 decades. An increasing proportion of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer is diagnosed
as de novo stage IV disease. Patients with de novo metastases are traditionally classified
in the general category of metastatic breast cancer and not analyzed as a distinct
subgroup, though response to therapy and disease outcomes may differ from that of
disease that recurred after early stage disease. Among patients with HER2+ de novo
metastatic breast cancer, those who achieve a complete response have a prolonged progression‐free
survival and overall survival. Moreover, the fact that some patients achieve a prolonged
durable response has raised interest and renewed discussion about whether cure is
feasible in the complex context of metastatic breast cancer. In this review, available
data associated with the possibility of cure in the population of patients with HER2+
de novo metastatic breast cancer are presented and discussed in detail.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: July 03, 2021
Accepted:
June 25,
2021
Received in revised form:
May 25,
2021
Received:
March 4,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
