breast-cancer

Shorter 12-week HER2 breast cancer regimen achieves 61% complete response rate with low toxicity.

Retrospective study of 44 HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with 12-week neoadjuvant weekly paclitaxel + carboplatin + trastuzumab + pertuzumab (12wTCHP): 61% pCR rate (75% ER-negative, 54% ER-positive), only 2 recurrences (5%) at 30-month median follow-up, no treatment deaths.…

Dan Manning

Dan Manning

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Shorter 12-week HER2 breast cancer regimen achieves 61% complete response rate with low toxicity.

Shorter 12-week HER2 breast cancer regimen achieves 61% complete response rate with low toxicity.

Retrospective study of 44 HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with 12-week neoadjuvant weekly paclitaxel + carboplatin + trastuzumab + pertuzumab (12wTCHP): 61% pCR rate (75% ER-negative, 54% ER-positive), only 2 recurrences (5%) at 30-month median follow-up, no treatment deaths. Manageable toxicity profile.

Key Findings

  • 61% pCR rate with 12-week neoadjuvant 12wTCHP in HER2-positive breast cancer
  • 75% pCR in ER-negative tumors; 54% in ER-positive
  • Only 2 recurrences (5%) at 30 months; none in stage IIA patients
  • Grade 3-4 neutropenia (20%) and diarrhea (19%); no treatment deaths
  • Results support further evaluation of de-escalated 12-week approach

Implications

12-week neoadjuvant regimen may be sufficient for selected HER2-positive breast cancer patients, especially frail or older individuals. Prospective randomized trials comparing 12 vs. 18 weeks are warranted.

Caveats

Retrospective single-center (n=44); abstract-only. Small sample limits conclusions. Longer follow-up needed.

Source: Breast cancer research and treatment — 2026-04-11

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