Trastuzumab in the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Two articles in this issue of the Journal report on the considerable therapeutic benefit of trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody, in primary breast cancer, as measured by reductions in the rates of both recurrence and death.1,2 These reports, which complete the bench-to-bedside cycle, are elegant examples of translational research. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family of transmembrane tyrosine kinases and is normally involved in the regulation of cell proliferation. The HER2 gene, located on the short arm of chromosome 17, was discovered and cloned in 1983 and . . .