If you have
breast cancer or
stomach cancer, your healthcare provider may prescribe
Herceptin® (
trastuzumab). This medication is considered a type of biologic therapy; it is not a form of chemotherapy. Herceptin is less "toxic" than chemotherapy, as it specifically targets certain proteins on cancer cells and has less of an effect on healthy, noncancerous cells.
Biologic therapy is just one form of treatment for cancer. Before prescribing Herceptin, your healthcare provider will take into consideration your current medical information to decide if this is the best treatment for your particular situation. Other treatment options for cancer can include:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Hormone therapy.
(For more information on using this drug for cancer treatment, click Herceptin Uses. This article also covers the specific types of cancer this medicine can treat and more details on how this drug works.)
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