Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government

HER2 Directed Dendritic Cell Vaccine, Trastuzumab, Pertuzumab, and Chemotherapy in Treating Participants with Stage II-III HER-2 Positive Breast Cancer

Trial Status: closed to accrual and intervention

This early phase I trial studies how well a HER2 directed dendritic cell vaccine, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and chemotherapy work in treating participants with stage II-III HER-2 positive breast cancer. Dendritic cells are immune cells that can tell the immune system to fight infection. Vaccines made from a person's dendritic cells may help the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells that express HER2. Trastuzumab is a form of “targeted therapy” because it works by attaching 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. Monoclonal antibodies, such as pertuzumab, may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel and carboplatin, 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. Giving a HER2 directed dendritic cell vaccine, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and chemotherapy may work better in participants with HER-2 positive breast cancer.