A trial of Herceptin versus no Herceptin for early breast cancer (HERA, BIG 01-01)

This trial was looking at Herceptin for breast cancer that has not spread to another part of the body.

Doctors usually treat breast cancer with surgery, and sometimes with radiotherapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy as well.

Trastuzumab (Herceptin) is a monoclonal antibody. It kills breast cancer cells that make too much of a protein called HER2. Breast cancer makes too much HER2 protein in between 12 and 30 out of every 100 women diagnosed (12 to 30%). Doctors often call this ‘HER2 positive’ breast cancer.

Researchers had tested trastuzumab in clinical trials for patients with advanced breast cancer. The aim of this trial was to see if trastuzumab helped women with HER2 positive early breast cancer.