One study looked at Herceptin for the adjuvant treatment of
breast cancer.
Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer is treatment that follows
breast cancer surgery (with or without radiation). It is given to help prevent the cancer from returning. These studies compared chemotherapy alone to chemotherapy plus Herceptin for breast cancers that were HER2-positive. The chemotherapy regimen included
doxorubicin (
Adriamycin®, Rubex
®),
cyclophosphamide (
Cytoxan®), and
paclitaxel (Onxol
®,
Taxol®). After 3.5 years, 93 percent of people who had taken chemotherapy plus Herceptin had survived cancer-free, compared to 86 percent of those who took chemotherapy alone.
Another study looked at using Herceptin in combination with chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancers (breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) that were HER2-positive. When Herceptin and chemotherapy were combined in these cases, the tumors shrunk more than when chemotherapy was used alone. Also, those taking Herceptin with chemotherapy lived longer and had a delay in the worsening of their cancer, compared to those who took chemotherapy alone.
When and How to Take Herceptin
Some general considerations for when and how to take Herceptin include the following:
- Herceptin is given intravenously (by IV) every seven days.
- Your first Herceptin infusion will last 90 minutes, and subsequent infusions will last 30 minutes.
- Most people receive their Herceptin infusion at their healthcare provider's office, a hospital, or at an "infusion center."
- For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Herceptin will not work as well if you stop taking it before your healthcare provider recommends.
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