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Trastuzumab, Pertuzumab, and Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients with Locally Advanced, Resectable, or Inflammatory Her2 Positive Breast Cancer

Trial Status: complete

This phase II trial studies how well two different anti-cancer treatment regimens which both contain trastuzumab and pertuzumab, but with different combinations of chemotherapy work in shrinking cancer before surgery in patients with localized Her2 positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab and pertuzumab are forms of “targeted therapy” because they work by attaching to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of cancer cells, known as HER2 receptors. When trastuzumab or pertuzumab 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. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, 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 trastuzumab with pertuzumab, in addition to combination chemotherapy has been shown to be very effective in shrinking cancer before surgery in patients with Her2 positive locally advanced breast cancer. This trial aims to help determine which regimen may work best with the least toxicity.