Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) is usually recommended for women with HER2-positive early breast cancer. In women with very small cancers and no involved lymph nodes, the benefit of treatment with trastuzumab is not yet known.

Targeted therapies available for women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer are:

• trastuzumab (Herceptin®)
• lapatinib (Tykerb®)

Another targeted therapy is bevacizumab (Avastin®). The routine addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy for women with metastatic breast cancer is not recommended because the benefits do not outweigh the additional adverse effects. The use of bevacizumab should be discussed with the treating doctor.