Effects of herceptin on over-expression of Her-2 in 11 patients with advanced gastrointestinal carcinoma

Objective: To investigate the effects of herceptin on over-expression of Her-2 in patients with advanced gastrointestinal carcinoma. Methods: Over-expression of Her-2 was detected in 11 patients with advanced gastrointestinal carcinoma using the immunohistochemical method.All the patients received herceptin combined with chemotherapy. Results: The effective rate of herceptin for patients with advanced gastrointestinal carcinoma was 81.82%（9/11）.The time of tumor progression（TTP） was from 5.6months to 14months.The median TTP was 8.6months.Four patients died.The longest survival time of patients was 44.5months and the shortest survival time of patients was 3 months after treatment with herceptin.The median survival time was not evaluated. Conclusion: Herceptin in combination with chemotherapy is effective against over-expression of Her-2 in patients with advanced gastrointestinal carcinoma and may increase the response of patients to chemotherapy.