How long can I stay on Herceptin?
Herceptin, blocks HER2 function (Her2 is a type of protein found in 15-20% of all breast cancers which makes the cancer more aggressive).
Treatment regimens for Herceptin vary depending on hospital protocols, but for the treatment of HER2+ early breast cancer, treatment is usually continued for one year (up to 18 cycles).
Some women are kept on Herceptin long-term if their cancer progresses. How long a women can stay on Herceptin for is not known. The main concerns with long-term therapy are the potential cardiac side effects of Herceptin.
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What are monoclonal antibodies?
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are man-made proteins that mimic the natural antibodies produced by our immune systems. Monoclonal antibodies can be formulated into medicines to treat various types of illnesses, such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis. Continue reading
What are biosimilar drugs and how do they compare to biologics?
A biosimilar is a biological product that is similar to a reference biologic (usually the originally approved product) and for which there are no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, purity, and potency. One example is Amjevita (adalimumab-atto), the first biosimilar approved for Humira (adalimumab) in 2016.
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How long can you stay on Herceptin and Perjeta?
If you are receiving Perjeta for treatment of HER2+ early breast cancer, you may continue treatments with Herceptin every 3 weeks for one year (18 cycles total). For the treatment of HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, you will receive Perjeta and Herceptin until the medicine no longer controls your breast cancer or you have side effects that require you to stop treatment. You may receive other treatments with these medications. Continue reading
Related medical questions
- What happens after Herceptin treatment?
- What are the biosimilars of Herceptin?
- What are biologic drugs and how do they work?
- What biosimilars have been approved in the United States?
- What is Herceptin? Is Herceptin a chemo drug? How does it work?
- How long does Herceptin stay in your body?
- How do Herceptin (trastuzumab) and Perjeta (pertuzumab) work together?
- How effective is Herceptin for Breast & Gastric Cancer?
- What is the difference between Herceptin and Herceptin Hylecta?
- Does Herceptin (trastuzumab) stop menstrual periods?
- Do Herceptin (trastuzumab) injections hurt?
- What is the difference between Herzuma and Herceptin?
- What is the difference between Ogivri and Herceptin?
- How is Herceptin Injection and Herceptin Hylecta administered?
Drug information
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