16 Months' Longer Survival with Addition of Pertuzumab in Advanced Breast Cancer

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Adding pertuzumab (Perjeta) to docetaxel and trastuzumab (Herceptin) as a first-line treatment was associated with significantly longer survival in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to the industry-sponsored CLEOPATRA study, which was presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting.

Roughly 800 women were randomized to receive pertuzumab or placebo. All patients received docetaxel plus trastuzumab. The median overall survival time was 41 months in the placebo group versus 57 months in the pertuzumab group. The authors call the survival improvement "unprecedented."

Pertuzumab targets the HER2 receptor, and the mechanisms of action of pertuzumab and trastuzumab are thought to complement each another.