Challenging the dogma on trastuzumab: a matter of the heart.

The authors explore the significance of neoadjuvant trials in the search for new therapeutic strategies with the ability to assess response to systemic treatment. They discuss and offer comments on several studies, with an emphasis on the NeOAdjuvant Herceptin study of trastuzumab by Luca Gianni et al conducted among women with a locally advanced or inflammatory breast cancer. They discuss the clinical goals of neoadjuvant therapy, as well as the need to further exploit neoadjuvant trials in the search for new therapeutic strategies.