Herceptin is the commercial name of the active substance trastuzumab, it is a humanized monoclonal antibody, similar to the antibodies that the body produces naturally to protect itself from infections by viruses and bacteria. Herceptin is used in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, early breast cancer, esophageal cancer, and gastric cancer.
Some breast cancer cells make many copies of a particular gene known as HER2. This gene produces a protein called the HER2 receptor, these receptors are like antennae on the surface of all cells, stimulating cell growth and spread. Herceptin attacks HER2 receptors and prevents them from receiving multiplication signals; This medicine helps slow or stop tumor growth.
Herceptin is administered intravenously in health centers. This medicine must be injected slowly. The first dose can take up to 90 minutes to complete. If the dose is tolerated, it can be continued with subsequent maintenance doses that only take 30 minutes.
Herceptin dose a person can receive will be subject to various factors, for example the weight, height, type of cancer that has, or state of health. It should be noted that such treatment must be supervised by the doctor, since he will be the one who indicates the dose and the administration schedule.
This drug should not be given if the patient is allergic to trastuzumab, or has a history of heart conditions. Likewise, its use is prohibited in pregnant women, or those who are breastfeeding.
Some of the side effects caused by the administration of this drug are: after receiving the first dose, the patient may have chills or fever. Body ache, nausea, weakness, diarrhea, dizziness.
It is important to remember that these effects are not experienced by most people who receive herceptin; they are effects that are almost always reversible and that disappear when the treatment ends. There is no relationship between side effects and the effectiveness of the drug. Perhaps the appearance of these secondary ailments are caused by using herceptin in combination with other drugs, that is, if this drug is applied in conjunction with other chemotherapy drugs, they can cause more severe side effects.
