What medication is used for HER2-positive breast cancer?

Breast cancer treatment Neratinib is used to treat HER2-positive early breast cancer in some women who have completed treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin). Treatment with neratinib may reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence in some people [144]. Neratinib is a pill.

What is HER2 therapy?

Anti-HER2 therapies (also called HER2 inhibitors or HER2-targeted therapies) are a class of medicines used to treat all stages of HER2-positive breast cancer, from early-stage to metastatic. Metastatic breast cancer is cancer that has spread to other parts of the body away from the breast, such as the bones or liver.

What is the standard of care for HER2-positive breast cancer?

The combination of trastuzumab and pertuzumab and a single-agent chemotherapeutic should be the standard first-line treatment for most patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.

Is HER2 positive breast cancer curable?

HER2-positive breast cancer is highly curable because of the availability of these HER2-targeted therapies, so we treat patients fairly aggressively upfront to reduce the risk of them experiencing a stage IV recurrence.

Is HER2 positive breast cancer a death sentence?

Current treatment algorithms for invasive HER2-positive disease has transformed the face of a disease with a death sentence to one with prolonged and overall survival benefit.

What is Herceptin used for?

Herceptin is the brand name of a medicine called trastuzumab. It’s used to treat some types of breast cancer, oesophageal cancer and stomach cancer.

Why is Herceptin given 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.

Is HER2-positive breast cancer a death sentence?

Is HER2-positive breast cancer curable?

Does HER2-positive return?

HER2-positive breast cancer is more aggressive and more likely to recur, or return, than HER2-negative breast cancer. Recurrence can happen anytime, but it usually takes place within 5 years of treatment. The good news is that recurrence is less likely today than ever before.