As you continue with your Herceptin treatment, it's important to monitor your progress and remain mindful of how you're feeling. Herceptin can cause side effects, so be sure to tell your doctor if you experience any discomfort during or after treatment. These are not all of the possible side effects with Herceptin. See below for more important side effect information about Herceptin.
Your healthcare team will monitor your heart so that potential side effects from Herceptin can be seen early and properly treated. Your doctor will check for signs of heart problems before, during, and after treatment with Herceptin.
Heart monitoring means you will get a medical test every few months with a scan that shows if your heart function has changed since starting Herceptin. Your heart function will be tested with an echo* or MUGA† scan.
Talk to your doctor about which signs and symptoms you may see while taking Herceptin.
*An echo scan is an ultrasound image of the heart; also called an “echocardiogram.”
†MUGA scan is a commonly used test that takes a moving picture of your heart pumping blood. It requires an injection of a nontoxic radioactive substance.
Not all people have serious side effects, but side effects with HERCEPTIN therapy are common.
Although some people may have a life-threatening side effect, most do not.
Your doctor will stop treatment if any serious side effects occur.
HERCEPTIN is not for everyone. Be sure to contact your doctor if you are experiencing any of the following:
HEART PROBLEMS
These include heart problems—such as congestive heart failure or reduced heart function—with or without symptoms. The risk for and seriousness of these heart problems were highest in people who received both HERCEPTIN and a certain type of chemotherapy (anthracycline). In a study of adjuvant (early) breast cancer, one patient died of significantly weakened heart muscle. Your doctor will check for signs of heart problems before, during, and after treatment with HERCEPTIN.
INFUSION REACTIONS, including:
These signs usually happen within 24 hours after receiving HERCEPTIN.
Be sure to contact your doctor if you:
Are a woman who could become pregnant, or may be pregnant
HERCEPTIN may result in the death of an unborn baby or birth defects. Contraception should be used while receiving HERCEPTIN and for 7 months after your last dose of HERCEPTIN. If you are or become pregnant while receiving HERCEPTIN or within 7 months after your last dose of HERCEPTIN, you should immediately report HERCEPTIN exposure to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.
Have any signs of SEVERE LUNG PROBLEMS, including:
Your doctor may check for signs of severe lung problems when he or she examines you.
Have LOW WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNTS
Low white blood cell counts can be life threatening. Low white blood cell counts were seen more often in patients receiving HERCEPTIN plus chemotherapy than in patients receiving chemotherapy alone.
Your doctor may check for signs of low white blood cell counts when he or she examines you.
Some patients receiving HERCEPTIN for metastatic stomach cancer had the following side effects:
You should contact your doctor immediately if you have any of the side effects listed above.
Herceptin Prescribing Information. Genentech, Inc. February 2021.
Herceptin Prescribing Information. Genentech, Inc. February 2021.
FDA Approval Letter. Herceptin. September 25, 1998. At: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/1998/trasgen092598L.pdf. Accessed June 24, 2019.
FDA Approval Letter. Herceptin. September 25, 1998. At: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/1998/trasgen092598L.pdf. Accessed June 24, 2019.
Bang Y-J, Van Cutsem E, Feyereislova A, et al; for the ToGA Trial Investigators. Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for treatment of HER2-positive advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (ToGA): a phase 3, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2010;376(9742):687-697. At: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61121-X/fulltext. Accessed June 24, 2019.
Bang Y-J, Van Cutsem E, Feyereislova A, et al; for the ToGA Trial Investigators. Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for treatment of HER2-positive advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (ToGA): a phase 3, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2010;376(9742):687-697. At: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61121-X/fulltext. Accessed June 24, 2019.
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