GlaxoSmithKline tests Tykerb against Herceptin in early breast cancer
Forbes reports GlaxoSmithKline tests Tykerb against Herceptin in early breast cancer
GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it has launched large-scale trials comparing its late-stage breast cancer drug Tykerb against Herceptin in early-stage breast cancer.
The trial will evaluate and compare the rate at which cancer cells disappear in the breast following treatment with lapatinib, the active ingredient in Tykerb, and/or trastuzumab, the active ingredient Genetech Inc's Herceptin, before surgery in women with early-stage ErbB2-positive (HER2-positive) positive breast cancer.
The implications for digital pathology are minimal; patients would still be tested for Her2 positivity using IHC, FISH, etc, but it might provide a more effective drug with fewer side effects than Herceptin. If nothing else the competition could lower the cost of treatment…

A typical digital slide 
Lance is one of my personal heros, not only for his personal and athletic accomplishments, but because he has channeled the fame and fortune those accomplishments created into this critical fight. Let's hope he is successful, but more than that, let's all support him in any way we can.



