Herceptin side effects
- when is herceptin used for breast cancer
- what type of breast cancer is herceptin used for
- how effective is herceptin for breast cancer
- does herceptin cure breast cancer
Why is herceptin given every 3 weeks...
Trastuzumab
Trastuzumab is a targeted cancer drug.
What is herceptin
You pronounce it as tras-too-zoo-mab. It’s also known by other names such as Herceptin, Herzuma and Ontruzant.
Trastuzumab is a treatment for:
- breast cancer – for, and
- advanced stomach cancer
- advanced cancer of where the food pipe joins your stomach (gastro oesophageal junction)
How does trastuzumab work?
Trastuzumab is a type of targeted cancer drug called a monoclonal antibody.
Targeted cancer drugs work by ‘targeting’ those differences that help a cancer cell to survive and grow. It is a treatment for cancers that have large amounts of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
Human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) is a protein that makes cells grow and divide.
Some breast and stomach cancers have large amounts of HER2 protein.
What happens after herceptin treatmentThese are called HER2 positive cancers. Trastuzumab works by locking onto HER2 on the cancer cells. The aim is to stop the cells from growing and kills them.
Trastuzumab only works if your cancer is HER2 positive. You have tests on your cancer cells to check for
- herceptin is chemotherapy
- breast cancer herceptin