One of the scariest things I have encountered in my life is talking about the family history at a doctor's office during a routine exam. You and your doctor start talking about health problems that have been linked to genetics and the probability of you obtaining a health problem that is not linked to genetics.
One word sums up my fear, cancer; whether it be breast, ovarian, cervical, liver, or lung, which is why researching new treatments and trying to help out the cause to find a cure has become an essential part of my young adult life.
Recently, through my digging I have found a new breast cancer medication, Herceptin. Herceptin is the only FDA-approved therapy for women who have a particular type of breast cancer which was discovered in the 1980s.
HER2 protein overexpression is an excess production of the HER2 receptors that is caused by a change in the gene HER2 cell in cancer cells. In a healthy breast cell, two copies of the HER2 gene exist to aid in the normal cell growth. It is when more than two copies of the gene are present when the excess protein begins to affect the other cells in the breast. This particular cancer is categorized as a metastatic breast cancer which spreads to other parts of the body, the words infiltrating and invasive are also used in the description.
Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody, which is an identical mass-produced antibody from a single cell that is created in a laboratory. The structure of the antibody makes it a more of a target form of therapy, which focuses on particular types of cell activities.
The FDA has approved Herceptin as a first line use with paclitaxel, a class of chemotherapy drugs that prevent cancer cell division and promote cancer cell death. The drug could also be used for those patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens. In the clinical trials of the drug, Herceptin was given to patients who were already receiving chemotherapy and the other test group only received the chemotherapy. The people who had the aid of Herceptin on average, lived longer, kept their cancer from growing for a longer period of time, and tumors shrank in size more often.
Herceptin is administered as an intravenous infusion in a doctor's office or clinic. The first infusion takes approximately 90 minutes; the process, however, can be slowed or stopped if the patient is feeling any discomfort from the side effects. Any infusion that takes place after that will last approximately 30 minutes, as long as any prior infusion was tolerated.
With every positive, a negative exists. With that, the side effects of the drug should be mentioned.
In the trials, patients who were taking Herceptin with other chemotherapy drugs (anthracyclines and cyclophosphamide) experienced heart problems.
Any patient, however that begins taking Herceptin, is recommended to be monitored for deteriorating heart function. Approximately 40 percent of the patients experienced chills and fever during the first infusion. Other reactions which presented themselves within the first 24 hours were nausea, vomiting, pain, allergic reactions, swelling, and/or lung problems. Some patients were subject to severe neutropenia (a form of low white blood cells) and a combination of neutropenia and fever was present when patients received Herceptin with myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Incidents of anemia, leucopenia, diarrhea, and infection were present when Herceptin was combined with chemotherapy.
However, like any drug, the side effects from person to person differ, which is why if you are considering taking any medication you should consult your doctor.
Herceptin is not a cure, but it is a first step. Only you can decide what you want to put into your body. I wish you the best for a safe and effective treatment.
Sara Jones, of Auburn, is a pharmacy technician
Recently, through my digging I have found a new breast cancer medication, Herceptin. Herceptin is the only FDA-approved therapy for women who have a particular type of breast cancer which was discovered in the 1980s.
HER2 protein overexpression is an excess production of the HER2 receptors that is caused by a change in the gene HER2 cell in cancer cells. In a healthy breast cell, two copies of the HER2 gene exist to aid in the normal cell growth. It is when more than two copies of the gene are present when the excess protein begins to affect the other cells in the breast. This particular cancer is categorized as a metastatic breast cancer which spreads to other parts of the body, the words infiltrating and invasive are also used in the description.
Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody, which is an identical mass-produced antibody from a single cell that is created in a laboratory. The structure of the antibody makes it a more of a target form of therapy, which focuses on particular types of cell activities.
The FDA has approved Herceptin as a first line use with paclitaxel, a class of chemotherapy drugs that prevent cancer cell division and promote cancer cell death. The drug could also be used for those patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens. In the clinical trials of the drug, Herceptin was given to patients who were already receiving chemotherapy and the other test group only received the chemotherapy. The people who had the aid of Herceptin on average, lived longer, kept their cancer from growing for a longer period of time, and tumors shrank in size more often.
Herceptin is administered as an intravenous infusion in a doctor's office or clinic. The first infusion takes approximately 90 minutes; the process, however, can be slowed or stopped if the patient is feeling any discomfort from the side effects. Any infusion that takes place after that will last approximately 30 minutes, as long as any prior infusion was tolerated.
With every positive, a negative exists. With that, the side effects of the drug should be mentioned.
In the trials, patients who were taking Herceptin with other chemotherapy drugs (anthracyclines and cyclophosphamide) experienced heart problems.
Any patient, however that begins taking Herceptin, is recommended to be monitored for deteriorating heart function. Approximately 40 percent of the patients experienced chills and fever during the first infusion. Other reactions which presented themselves within the first 24 hours were nausea, vomiting, pain, allergic reactions, swelling, and/or lung problems. Some patients were subject to severe neutropenia (a form of low white blood cells) and a combination of neutropenia and fever was present when patients received Herceptin with myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Incidents of anemia, leucopenia, diarrhea, and infection were present when Herceptin was combined with chemotherapy.
However, like any drug, the side effects from person to person differ, which is why if you are considering taking any medication you should consult your doctor.
Herceptin is not a cure, but it is a first step. Only you can decide what you want to put into your body. I wish you the best for a safe and effective treatment.
Sara Jones, of Auburn, is a pharmacy technician
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