What is HER2?
A protein involved in cellular processes such as angiogenesis , differentiation, growth, and more. Her2 can be found in high levels in breast cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, pancreas and stomach cancers and cause cancer cells grow faster and spread.
What is Herceptin®?
A targeted therapy that works by targeting specific genes or proteins to help stop cancer growth and spread.
Herceptin® is a life-saving biological drug used to treat breast cancer, which over-expresses a protein called HER2 or ERBB2, on the surface of the cancerous cell. This condition characterizes 18-22% of breast cancer patients and for about ten years these patients have been treated with Herceptin® for a year. Herceptin® causes heart damage in about 8% of the patients who are treated with it and in this case the treatment is discontinued.
What are the news for patients with HER2 positive breast cancer?
It is enough to receive Herceptin® for 6 months instead of 12 months!
Results from a new clinical trial of Herceptin® for six months instead of a year showed that not only the efficacy of the treatment was the same as 1 year, heart damage decreased by half, to 4% of the patients.
