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Editor’s note: HER2 gene amplification occurs in approximately 20% of all newly diagnosed breast cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. The humanized monoclonal antibody trastuzumab has proved to be a hugely successful treatment, displaying efficacy in patients with advanced, refractory HER2-positive breast cancer, and leading to improved survival rates when used in combination with taxanes. This is so much the case that trastuzumab is now the first-line therapy for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.