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Expanded use of Herceptin.(Updates)
- Article from:
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FDA Consumer
- Article date:
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March 1, 2007
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In November 2006, the FDA expanded the approved use of Herceptin (trastuzumab), a biological cancer drug. This new indication is for Herceptin, in combination with other cancer drugs, as treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer after surgery (lumpectomy or mastectomy).
Herceptin is a targeted therapy against the HER2 protein on cancer cells. When an excessive amount of HER2 protein is present, it causes cancer cells to grow more rapidly and standard chemotherapy may be less effective. In 1998, the FDA approved Herceptin to treat breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body (metastatic). This latest approval expands use of Herceptin to women who have cancer in ...