A combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, and trastuzumab has shown excellent survival outcomes for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive, locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

In the study, 48 patients with immunohistochemistry-confirmed HER2-positive LABC or inflammatory breast cancer received 12 weeks of docetaxel, cisplatin, and trastuzumab with filgrastim, followed by surgery, adjuvant doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, and locoregional radiotherapy with or without tamoxifen. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast.

At a median follow-up time of 43 months, the patients' four-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 81 percent and their overall survival rate was 86 percent. In patients without pCR, the PFS rate was 76 percent. There were only two significant adverse events, noted the study.