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Cyclophosphamide, Paclitaxel, and Trastuzumab in Treating Patients with Stage I-II HER2/neu Positive Breast Cancer after Surgery

Trial Status: closed to accrual

This phase II trial studies the side effects and how well cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, and trastuzumab work when given after surgery in treating patients with stage I-II human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2/neu) positive breast cancer (confined to the breast or the breast and lymph nodes under the arm). Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Trastuzumab is a form of targeted therapy because it attaches itself to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of cancer cells, known as HER2 receptors. When trastuzumab attaches to HER2 receptors, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the cancer cell may be marked for destruction by the body's immune system. Giving cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, and trastuzumab after surgery may help prevent the cancer from coming back.