What's so special about {blacktriangledown}trastuzumab?

doi:10.1136/dtb.2002.40965

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 2002;40:65-67; doi:10.1136/dtb.2002.40965

What's so special about ${blacktriangledown}$ trastuzumab?

Relevant BNF section: 8.1.5

The growth and multiplication of cells are regulated, in part,by polypeptide growth factors that bind to high-affinity receptorstypically found on the plasma membrane. One such receptor ishuman epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). In around aquarter of all primary breast cancers, cells possess abnormallyhigh numbers of (overexpress) HER2.¹ ${blacktriangledown}$ Trastuzumab (pronouncedtra-stoo-zoo-mab; Herceptin - Roche), a recombinant humanisedmouse monoclonal antibody directed against HER2, is availableas a treatment for certain patients with metastatic breast cancer.It is licensed as a first-line treatment in combination with ${blacktriangledown}$ paclitaxel for those whose cancer cells overexpress HER2 andfor whom an anthracycline is unsuitable, and as a third-linetreatment used alone when treatment with (where appropriate)an anthracycline, a taxane and hormonal therapy has failed.The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommendedtrastuzumab as a treatment option for metastatic breast cancerin accordance with the licensed indications.² What does trastuzumaboffer?