Is it necessary to take Trastuzumab for one year?

Trastuzumab (Trastuzumab) is an established component of adjuvant treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. In a disease associated with aggressive biology and previously associated with a poor prognosis, trastuzumab significantly improved outcomes. Adjuvant trastuzumab therapy has been shown to significantly improve patient survival outcomes in multiple trials, and its durable effects have been confirmed in long-term follow-up.

Preliminary results from the HERA trial suggest that extending adjuvant trastuzumab therapy to two years does not improve survival outcomes after one year but increases the side effect known as cardiotoxicity, which occurred in 7.3% of the two-year trastuzumab cohort and 4.4% of the one-year cohort in HERA's most recent long-term follow-up (up to 11 years). If a patient is taking trastuzumab after surgery to treat primary breast cancer, it is usually given for one year (about 18 cycles). If trastuzumab is taken before surgery, it is usually for 4-6 cycles. If a patient is taking trastuzumab to treat secondary breast cancer, trastuzumab is usually given as long as the cancer is under control.

Trastuzumab is sold under the brand name Herceptin in China and has entered the scope of Class B medical insurance, but it may be limited to patients who meet the indications for this drug, such as patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and its adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment or HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer. The price is around 6,000 yuan. The original trastuzumab drug has also been launched overseas. The drug ingredients of domestic and foreign original drugs are basically the same. For specific prices and drug details, you can consult the medical consultant. There is currently no generic drug of trastuzumab on the market.