Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody of the world’s first and only drug approved by the FDA for the indication of breast cancer with HER2 over-expression or HER2 positive status.
Is HER2?
* HER2 is a protein produced by a gene that potentially cause cancer. These proteins act as antennas that receive signals to cancer cells spread is quick and deadly.
* Approximately 20-30% of women with breast cancer are HER2.
* The presence of HER2 associated with the course of the disease that gets worse and the time of recurrence is much faster at all stages of breast cancer development, thus becomes an important thing for patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to check their HER2 status .
Herceptin can be used by using several different ways:
* Part of the treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel
* With docetaxel and carboplatin
* As a single agent with multi-modality anthracycline-based therapy
Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is approved for first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin as a single agent is approved for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer in patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease.
HER2 test – Newest Recommendations for Breast Cancer Therapy
New types of tests also include tests for tumor HER2 gene. HER2 positive patients say if the tumor is found in large amounts of HER2. Cancer with HER2-positive is known as an aggressive form of breast cancer and has an estimated course of the disease is worse than patients with HER2-negative. An estimated one in four to five patients with late stage breast cancer have HER2-positive.
Medical Therapy
* Trastuzumab is an antibody designed to target and inhibit the function of HER2, a protein found in large numbers on the surface of some breast cancer cells. Trastuzumab also stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells. This is the first antibody-based drugs used to treat breast cancer, a cancer most often diagnosed in women.
* Treatment with Trastuzumab has led to improved response, Life Expectancy is higher and the quality of life better among women with late stage breast cancer. Clinical studies have evaluated women who received Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy and as a single drug to those who have been resistant to treatment.
* Trastuzumab provides lighter side effects than standard chemotherapy, where patients experienced mild to moderate symptoms such as chills and fever, especially happens with the first infusion. Trastuzumab is only interfere with the growth of breast cancer cells specifically, and does not interfere with healthy cells including blood cells and immune cells.
Herceptin treatment can lead to heart problems, including that no symptoms or a decline in cardiac function and people with symptoms of congestive heart failure. The risk of heart problems and all of this is highest in those who received Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy such as anthracycline. Doctors can stop the use of Herceptin in the event of a significant decline in cardiac function.
Before the first dose should be given Herceptin Monitored decline in cardiac function, it is often done while receiving Herceptin and after your last dose received Herceptin. If you have permanently or temporarily stop Herceptin due to a heart problem, you should be Monitored more frequently. In a study with Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy, an inadequate blood supply to the heart occurs.
In some patients have a serious infusion reactions and lung problems; fatal infusion reactions have been reported. In most cases, these reactions occurred during or within 24 hours after receiving Herceptin. You Herceptin infusion should be temporarily stopped if you have shortness of breath or very low blood pressure. Your doctor will monitor you until these symptoms go. If you have a severe allergic reaction, swollen Lungs, pneumonia, or severe shortness of breath, your doctor may have to actually stop the Herceptin treatment.
Low deterioration can occur in white blood cell counts associated with chemotherapy also occurs.
Herceptin can cause low amniotic fluid levels and harm the fetus when taken by a pregnant woman.
The most common side effects associated with Herceptin were fever, nausea, vomiting, infusion reactions, diarrhea, infections, increased cough, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, rashes, low white-cell and red blood cells, and muscle aches.
Source: Symptom Of Breast Cancer