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All for HER Profile

    • Tara Gehrig
    • 2008 Central Region Winner
    • University of Chicago Medical Center
    • Chicago, IL

Nomination Information (excerpts)

How does the nurse you are nominating go above and beyond his or her normal duties for patients with HER2+ breast cancer?
Tara is an excellent nurse clinician in our practice. As the physician resource nurse, she is responsible for coordination of care of patients receiving non-research therapy. In between visits, she routinely follows up with patients by phone to ensure appropriate symptom and disease management. When she is out of the office she is diligent at checking in just to make sure there are no issues she can take care of.

How does the nurse encourage his or her patients to stay on therapy?
When a patient starts therapy she provides the patient with a schedule of their treatments. In addition, in between treatments she follows up by phone and reminds patients when they are next schedule so they stay on schedule.

What are the nurse's greatest strengths in teaching, relating to, and caring for his or her patients?
Tara's greatest strength is the compassion she shows to patients through listening and answering their questions. In a very busy clinic with 4 medical oncologists, she coordinates the care for approximately 75 patients. She always takes the time to teach, to listen and to provide support to her patients. Often this results in her committing personal time to achieve completion of her workload.

Is there any additional information you'd like to share about the nurse you are nominating?
Tara is a professional at the highest level and seeks to further her education. Currently, Tara is working towards completion of a Master's degree.

If known, indicate the number of years your nurse has been in practice.
18

Who is Herceptin for?

Herceptin is approved for the adjuvant treatment of HER2-overexpressing, node-positive or node-negative (ER/PR-negative or with one high-risk feature)† breast cancer. Herceptin can be used several different ways:

  • As part of a treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel
  • With docetaxel and carboplatin
  • As a single agent following multi-modality anthracycline-based therapy

Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is approved for the first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin as a single agent is approved for treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer in patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease.

† High-risk is defined as ER/PR positive with one of the following features: tumor size >2 cm, age <35 years, or tumor grade 2 or 3.

What important safety information should I know about Herceptin?

Herceptin treatment can result in heart problems, including those without symptoms (reduced heart function) and those with symptoms (congestive heart failure). The risk and seriousness of these heart problems were highest in people who received both Herceptin and a certain type of chemotherapy (anthracycline). Your doctor will stop or strongly consider stopping Herceptin if you have a significant drop in your heart function.

You should be monitored for decreased heart function before your first dose of Herceptin, and frequently during the time you are receiving Herceptin and after your last dose of Herceptin. If you must permanently or temporarily stop Herceptin due to heart problems, you should be monitored more frequently. In one study with Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy, an inadequate blood supply to the heart occurred.

Some patients have had serious infusion reactions and lung problems; fatal infusion reactions have been reported. In most cases, these reactions occurred during or within 24 hours of receiving Herceptin. Your Herceptin infusion should be temporarily stopped if you have shortness of breath or very low blood pressure. Your doctor will monitor you until these symptoms go away. If you have a severe allergic reaction, swelling, lung problems, inflammation of the lung, or severe shortness of breath, your doctor may need to completely stop your Herceptin treatment.

Worsening of low white blood cell counts associated with chemotherapy has also occurred.

Herceptin can cause low amniotic fluid levels and harm to the fetus when taken by a pregnant woman.

The most common side effects associated with Herceptin were fever, nausea, vomiting, infusion reactions, diarrhea, infections, increased cough, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, rash, low white and red blood cells, and muscle pain.

Because everyone is different, it is not possible to predict what side effects any one person will have. If you have questions or concerns about side effects, talk to your doctor.

Please see the Herceptin full Prescribing Information including Boxed WARNINGS and additional important safety information.



Herceptin® (trastuzumab)Herceptin® (trastuzumab)

Adjuvant Care Is defined as additional treatment given after the main treatment plan to decrease the chance of recurrence. Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer can include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, or biological therapy

Metastatic Breast Cancer Breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body; also referred to as invasive or infiltrating