According to Dr. Perez, among patients who were followed nine months from the time they entered the study, the risk of cardiac toxicity was 2.2 to 3.3 percent for patients who received at least one dose of paclitaxel (chemotherapy) with sequential or concurrent trastuzumab. Dr. Perez's research has also documented that slightly less than 1 percent of patients receiving chemotherapy alone experienced some heart muscle damage.
"The incidence of cardiac toxicity at this follow-up time is within what was expected at the time of trial design. But patient follow-up remains important, as we balance the significant improvement in disease-free survival with this small but measurable risk of cardiac toxicity," says Dr. Perez.
EMBARGOED: Hold for release until after presentation at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Abstract # 556, Tuesday, May 17, 2005, 8 a.m. EDT