Handbook of HER2-targeted agents in breast cancer

​Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total new cancer cases each year.  Of these cases, approximately  15–25% overexpress HER2, a transmembrane RTK kinase that is associated with aggressive tumor growth and poor outcomes.  However, in the past decade, survival rates of patients with HER-positive breast cancer have significantly improved due to increased screening, HER