UCLA researchers are seeking more than 3,000 women with early-stage breast cancer to participate in new studies of Herceptin, the first successful targeted gene-based therapy for breast cancer. The study will be the largest international clinical trial to investigate Herceptin’s potential in women whose breast cancer has been diagnosed early. Herceptin attacks a specific genetic alteration that occurs in 25-30 percent of all women with breast cancer; patients who have this alteration have a life expectancy of about half the life expectancy of patients who do not have it. Herceptin already has been proven to be effective against an aggressive form of late-stage breast cancer, especially when used in combination with certain chemotherapies. By attacking the cancer early, researchers are hoping to make a far greater impact on patient survival and cure rates. Dr. Harry Menco is the only UCLA-affiliated oncologist in Thousand Oaks participating in these studies. Menco can be reached at (805) 496-2949. Interested persons may also call the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center clinical trials hotline at (888) 798-0719 for more information. In addition, the following Oxnard-based physicians are also affiliated with UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center: Ventura County Hematology-Oncology Specialists (Doctors Rosemary McIntyre, Kooros Parsa, Ann Kelley and Lynn Kong) and they may be reached at (805) 485-8709.
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