Summary

Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody against HER-2/neu, a tyrosine kinase receptor that is overexpressed in HER-2 positive breast cancer. As a result, trastuzumab is an effective treatment for HER-2 positive breast cancer. It can also be used in the treatment of gastric cancer. Finally, patient’s taking trastuzumab are at risk of developing cardiotoxicity.

Key Points

• Trastuzumab
  • Mechanism
    • Monoclonal antibody against HER-2/neu (c-erbB2)
      • HER-2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor
      • Trastuzumab helps with killing cancer cells that overexpress HER-2
        • Inhibits HER-2 initiated cellular signaling and causes antibody-dependent cytotoxicity
  • Clinical use
    • HER-2 positive breast cancer
    • Gastric cancer 
  • Adverse effects
    • Cardiotoxicity