Abstract
BackgroundBreast cancer is the most frequent cancers and is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Trastuzumab is an effective treatment, the first monoclonal antibody directed against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). To inform the development of other effective treatments we report summary estimates of efficacy of trastuzumab on survival and tumour volume in animal models of breast cancer.MethodsWe searched PubMed and EMBASE systematically to identify publications testing trastuzumab in animal models of breast cancer. Data describing tumour volume, median survival and animal features were extracted and we assessed quality using a 12-item checklist. We analysed the impact of study design and quality and evidence for publication bias.ResultsWe included data from 83 studies reporting 169 experiments using 2076 mice. Trastuzumab treatment caused a substantial reduction in tumour growth, with tumours in treated animals growing to 32.6% of the volume of tumours in control animals (95%CI 27.8%-38.2%). Median survival was prolonged by a factor of 1.45 (1.30–1.62). Many study design and quality features accounted for between-study heterogeneity and we found evidence suggesting publication bias.ConclusionWe have found trastuzumab to be effective in animal breast cancer models across a range of experimental circumstances. However the presence of publication bias and a low prevalence of measures to reduce bias provide a focus for future improvements in preclinical breast cancer research.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world
Trastuzumab is an effective treatment, the first monoclonal antibody directed against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)
Trastuzumab treatment caused a substantial reduction in tumour growth, with tumours in treated animals growing to 32.6% of the volume of tumours in control animals (95%CI 27.8%-38.2%)
Summary
With an estimated 1.67 million new cancer cases diagnosed in 2012, breast cancer is the most frequent cancer and second leading cause of cancer death among women [1]. Radiation therapy, and systemic therapy have improved the survival and quality of life of breast cancer patients over the past 30 years [2]. The human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), overexpressed in between 15% and 20% of breast cancers [5], is one of the most common molecular targets for targeted therapies [2]. Breast cancer is the most frequent cancers and is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. To inform the development of other effective treatments we report summary estimates of efficacy of trastuzumab on survival and tumour volume in animal models of breast cancer
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have