| A
new study found the antibody therapy Herceptin helped women with
an aggressive form of breast cancer live longer. Antibodies are
specialized weapons the immune system uses to tag intruders such
as viruses. Herceptin uses antibodies to target a deadly form of
breast cancer where tumors overproduce the protein known as HER2,
or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. About one out of four
women with fast-spreading, or metastatic, breast cancer have HER2
-positive disease. Women with this type of breast cancer normally
have about half the life expectancy of women with HER2-negative
breast cancer. Researchers reporting in the New England Journal
of Medicine found women with advanced-stage breast cancer treated
with Herceptin and chemotherapy lived nearly 25 percent longer on
average -- almost five months -- than those treated with chemotherapy
alone. The most common side effects were fever and heart dysfunction,
but some patients suffered serious side effects, including congestive
heart failure and anaphylactic shock. Those interested in learning
more about clinical trials for Herceptin should speak to their physicians |
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