A contemporary study assessing and analyzing the safety and long-term effectiveness of Trastuzumab Injection, more popularly known as Herceptin, has found that it improves long-term survival chances of HER2 positive breast cancer patients. The improvement occurs when you take it in combination with chemotherapy.
The Clinical Oncology Journal published an evaluated data from two independent and different studies. They specifically designed the clinical trials to evaluate the overall survival rate and the graph of patients living with the early stage of HER2 cancer.
The clinical trials
They had two sets of patients. They gave Trastuzumab and chemotherapy to one set and gave only chemotherapy to the other. The scientists found that more than 4,000 HER2 patients with operable cancers showed up in the trials. In addition to Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide and Paclitaxel, they also gave Trastuzumab Injection.
1. The findings
The results of the study showed that when you use Trastuzumab Injection in conjunction with chemotherapy, it significantly improves the survival rate of the patient. The long-term side effects are quite minimal, and the chance of a relapse of cancer also decreases. The two trials of the study show identical results. The FDA has taken note of the early results while approving Trastuzumab as an adjuvant form of treatment for HER2 positive breast cancers.
2. Improving a survival cycle of 10 years
Trastuzumab created an improvement from a standard 75% survival rate to a whopping 85%. The new analysis includes all over survival rates for a period of 10 years after treatment. They specifically addressed whether patients experience a cancer comeback or not. They also check if the patients experience any side effects on the heart.
These effects are detrimental enough to neutralize the treatment benefits. The results also emphasize massive improvement in the domain of disease-free living. For the ones who received chemotherapy without Trastuzumab, the 10-year survival rate showed a 62% growth response as compared to 74%-76% patients who received the injection.
3. Combating HER2
It’s important to remember that almost 20% or more of breast cancers occur due to HER2 protein. It’s called the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, which refers to the HER2 gene. It also includes the protein, which helps to control or block the growth and spread of healthy cells in the body. However, with any form of amplification of the HER2 gene, or if there is some type of protein over-expression, the cells can grow at in any amount or speed. The rapid pace leads to cancer.
4. More on the trials
Almost 20% of all invasive breast cancers are due to the over-expression or gene amplification of HER2 protein. Approaching the treatment in compliance with the over-expression is very crucial.
5. The side effects
Trastuzumab Injection leads to some cardiac issues. It’s a well-known side effect of the drug. Till now, there has been a 3.5% incidence of such cardiac problems.
The treatment pitch
Most of the affected patients could recover from the first line of side effects. You use the injection in conjunction with chemotherapy for treating breast cancer patients diagnosed with HER2 cancer.
