Breast Cancer Research Finds Drug Herceptin Effective in Preventing Recurrence

March 19th, 2006

The drug Trastuzumab (Herceptin) has been shown to transform the grim prognosis of breast cancer to a relatively good one — according to evidence from several recent trials.
Women with an early stage of this highly aggressive breast cancer can especially benefit from this newer drug. Women with HER2-positive cancers need rapid treatment, as their disease can return in an incurable form more readily than other types of early breast cancers.

Overproduction of the protein HER2 appearing on the surface of cancer cells spurs their division and rapid growth. After the drug Herceptin binds to HER2-positive cells, it blocks their growth and causes them to be destroyed by the woman’s immune system. Studies show that Herceptin cut the chances of having a relapse in half in patients followed for three years.

Herceptin is used only selectively, as only 20 to 30 percent of women have breast tumors positive for HER2. The cancer-fighting drug is given by intravenous infusion, usually weekly or every few weeks in a doctor’s office. It has its risks, however, and may cause debilitating side effects in some patients. Infrequently, it causes severe allergic reactions, heart failure and lung problems. In many cases, cardiac abnormalities have been found to be reversible.

Because the drug targets the cancerous cells and works with the woman’s immune system, Herceptin causes fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. In a few cases, women have died from complications arising from their treatment. This is also true for standard chemotherapy. In some cases, Herceptin is given in combination with or after chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether trastuzumab works best when given after or simultaneously with chemotherapy.

For patients without heart disease and who are most at risk of succumbing to their cancer, Herceptin may prove to be the answer to their prayers.

Johns Hopkins Medical Letter, Health After 50, February 2006

Entry Filed under: Breast Cancer,Breast Cancer,CANCER,WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE