A trial comparing lapatinib and capecitabine with trastuzumab and capecitabine for breast cancer that has spread (CEREBEL)

This trial compared lapatinib (Tyverb) and capecitabine (Xeloda) with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and capecitabine for breast cancer. It was open to women whose breast cancer had spread to another part of the body (secondary breast cancer) apart from the brain or spinal cord. Their cancer also had to be HER2 positive. This means the breast cancer cells had tested positive for a protein called HER2.