Some studies has demonstrated that even in trastuzumab pretreated patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer, might benefit from the treatment of trastuzumab. However, there is small benefit for some patients having short disease-free survival after adjuvant trastuzumab or short progression-free survival after first-line trastuzumab-based therapy. In clinical practice, the investigators also found it is fact. And the investigators have a scientific rationale for clinical testing of lapatinib plus chemotherapy in patients with trastuzumab-refractory, metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.
