Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Patients are asked to take part in this research study because they have a certain type of breast cancer which is called "HER2-positive breast cancer". This means they have a marker on their breast cancer cells called HER2. Although surgery removed the patient's cancer, more treatment is needed to help prevent it from coming back. In this study, patients will have standard chemotherapy as well as trastuzumab (Herceptin) which is an approved treatment for patients with HER2 positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab targets the HER2 marker on the breast cancer cells. This study will look at a new drug called pertuzumab, which also targets the HER2 marker but in a different way to trastuzumab. Pertuzumab is an investigational drug and is not yet approved to treat HER2-positive breast cancer. This means that it has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for doctors to prescribe for patients.

Criteria
 Inclusion Criteria:

 • Adult patients. >/= 18 years of age

 • Non-metastatic primary invasive HER2-positive carcinoma of the breast that is adequately excised and that is node-positive (except T0)

 • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status </=1

 • The interval between definitive surgery for breast cancer and the first dose of chemotherapy must be no more than 8 weeks (56 days). The first cycle of chemotherapy must be administered within 7 days of randomization or on Day 56, whichever occurs first.

 • Known hormone receptor status (estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor)

 • Baseline LVEF >/= 55%

 • Women of childbearing potential and male participants with partners of childbearing potential must agree to use effective contraception (as defined by the protocol) by the patient and/or partner for the duration of the study treatment and for at least 6 months after the last dose of study drug

 Exclusion Criteria:

 • History of any prior (ipsi- and/or contralateral) invasive breast cancer

 • History of non-breast malignancies within the 5 years prior to study entry, except for carcinoma in situ of the cervix, carcinoma in situ of the colon, melanoma in situ, and basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin

 • Any "clinical" T4 tumor as defined by TNM, including inflammatory breast cancer

 • Any previous systemic chemotherapy for cancer or radiotherapy for cancer

 • Prior use of anti-HER2 therapy for any reason or other prior biologic or immunotherapy for cancer

 • Concurrent anti-cancer treatment in another investigational trial

 • Serious cardiac or cardiovascular disease or condition

 • Pregnant or lactating women