Herticad Indications/Uses

Trastuzumab contains the active substance trastuzumab, which is a monoclonal antibody (a type of protein that is normally made by the immune system to help defend the body from infection and cancer). Monoclonal antibodies attach to specific proteins or antigens. Trastuzumab is designed to bind selectively to an antigen called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). HER2 is found in large amounts on the surface of some cancer cells where it stimulates the growth of such cells and causes them to die.
The doctor may prescribe Trastuzumab for the treatment of breast and gastric cancer when: The patient has early breast cancer with high levels of a protein called HER2.
The patient has metastatic breast cancer (breast cancer that has spread beyond the original tumour) with high levels of HER2. Trastuzumab may be prescribed in combination with the chemotherapy medicine paclitaxel or docetaxel as first treatment for metastatic breast cancer or it may be prescribed alone if other treatments have proved unsuccessful.
It is also used in combination with medicines called aromatase inhibitors with patients with high levels of HER2 and hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (cancer that is sensitive to the presence of female sex hormones).
The patient has metastatic gastric cancer with high levels of HER2, when it is in combination with the other cancer medicines capecitabine or 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin.