Trastuzumab

Annelies H Boekhout1, Jos H Beijnen, Jan H M Schellens

  • 1Division of Clinical Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.schellens@nki.nl

The Oncologist
|June 3, 2011
PubMed

Trastuzumab is standard of care in the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2⁺ early and advanced breast cancer. Recently, it has been approved for the treatment of HER-2⁺ advanced gastric cancer. Trastuzumab is an IgG1 humanized monoclonal antibody administered by intravenous infusion on a weekly or three weekly schedule. In all registered indications, trastuzumab is almost always given in combination with chemotherapy. In hormonal receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women, trastuzumab can be combined with an aromatase inhibitor. Main toxicity is reduction in the left ventricular ejection fraction, which in a minority of patients can become symptomatic, but in many patients is at least partly reversible. Long-term safety needs to be further determined.

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