Combination of radiotherapy and targeted therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer brain metastases

Abstract

Abstract Radiotherapy and targeted therapy are essential treatments for patients with brain metastases from human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. However, the combination of radiotherapy and targeted therapy still needs to be investigated, and neurotoxicity induced by radiotherapy for brain metastases has also become an important issue of clinical concern. It remained unclear how to achieve the balance of efficacy and toxicity with the application of new radiotherapy techniques and new targeted therapy drugs. This article reviews the benefits and potential risk of combining radiotherapy and targeted therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer with brain metastases.

Keywords

• Breast cancer
• Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
• Brain metastasis
• Radiation therapy
• Targeted therapy