Benefits of Herceptin in breast cancer outweigh the risk of harm

In women with advanced (or metastatic) breast cancer, treatment with the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) is associated with prolonged survival but also increases the risk of developing heart problems, a new systematic review shows. However, the review, published in The Cochrane Library, concludes that more women benefit from use of trastuzumab than are harmed. The review focuses on treatment for women with advanced stage breast cancer who have tested HER2- positive. About one in five women with breast cancer are HER2-positive. HER2 is a protein on the surface of breast cells called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. It encourages