What happens if Herceptin does not work?
If Cancer Stops Responding to Herceptin, It May Have Switched From HER2-Positive to HER2-Negative. Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab) is a targeted therapy used to treat HER2-positive breast cancers. HER2-positive cancers have too many copies of the HER2/neu gene that makes too much of the HER2 protein.
Does Herceptin work for everyone?
While Herceptin works very well in most cases, some HER2-positive breast cancers don’t respond as well to Herceptin, and doctors have been trying to figure out why this happens. A study suggests that strongly estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers with a low FISH test ratio are less likely to respond to Herceptin.
What is the success rate of Herceptin?
At 10 years after treatment, overall survival was better in women who were treated with Herceptin: 84% of the women who received chemotherapy plus Herceptin were alive. 75.2% of the women who received chemotherapy alone were alive.
What causes trastuzumab resistance?
The most intensively studied general mechanisms of trastuzumab resistance are: (1) obstacles for trastuzumab binding to HER2; (2) upregulation of HER2 downstream signaling pathways; (3) signaling through alternate pathways; and (4) failure to trigger immune-mediated mechanisms to destroy tumor cells.
Why do I have to take Herceptin for a year?
Since 2005, the standard of care has been to give Herceptin for 1 year after surgery and chemotherapy to reduce the risk of recurrence (the cancer coming back) of early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer. Like most cancer treatments, Herceptin can cause side effects, including possible heart damage.
What is the mechanism of action of trastuzumab?
As an antibody, one of the major mechanisms of trastuzumab is to attract immune cells to tumor sites that overexpress HER2, by a mechanism called antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).
How does Herceptin work to treat breast cancer?
Herceptin works by attaching itself to the HER2 receptors on the surface of breast cancer cells and blocking them from receiving growth signals. By blocking the signals, Herceptin can slow or stop the growth of the breast cancer. Herceptin is an example of an immune targeted therapy.
How to understand herceptin resistance at genetic level?
In order to understand Herceptin resistance at genetic level, we integrated genomic data of BCCs that include expression, mutations and copy number variations in different cell lines.
What kind of antibody is Herceptin made out of?
Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody, “biologic” drug. This means that it is made from living organisms, in this case a protein from a mouse cell. A monoclonal antibody is a type of protein made in the lab that can bind to substances in the body, including cancer cells. Each monoclonal antibody is made so that it binds only to one substance.
What happens when a breast cancer cell has too many HER2 receptors?
The HER2 gene makes a protein known as a HER2 receptor. HER2 receptors are like ears, or antennae, on the surface of all cells. These HER2 receptors receive signals that stimulate the cell to grow and multiply. But breast cancer cells with too many HER2 receptors can pick up too many growth signals.