- About 25 percent of breast cancer patients have tumors with Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2, or HER2+ (positive). Herceptin targets these aggressive tumors.
- In a study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute involving more than 3,300 patients, 87.1 percent of those who received both chemotherapy and Herceptin treatment remained alive and disease-free after three years. The comparable survival rate in patients receiving only chemotherapy was 75.4 percent.
- Unwanted reactions to Herceptin range from nausea and shortness of breath to serious or fatal lung problems, mostly occurring within 24 hours of receiving the treatment. Herceptin can harm the fetus when taken by pregnant women.
- The treatment is usually administered through an intravenous (IV) needle at a clinic or doctor's office. The initial infusion usually lasts 90 minutes, while subsequent treatments take about half an hour.
- Trastuzumab, known by the trade name Herceptin, is made by Genentech, Inc., of South San Francisco, Calif.
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