This patient-friendly article is about chemotherapy drug, Kadcyla (trade name: ad-trastuzumab emtansine, also called T-DM1), which was first approved by the FDA in 2013 for treating patients with late-stage HER-2 positive breast cancer.
In early 2019, it was used after surgery for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer with the residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant treatment.
The cancer drug is an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody combined with microtubule inhibitor DM1 which classifies it as being a targeted therapy. It works by targeting the specific receptor HER2 on the surface of cancer cells with the Herceptin drug (Trastuzumab), which then 'delivers' the inhibitor drug DM1, which blocks tubulin and inhibits the cancer cells' microtubules.
In the year 2019, Kadcyla was approved based on the results of reduced risk in invasive breast cancer recurrence or death by 50% in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer. Further results also showed that cancer did not return in 88.3% of patients treated with Kadcyla compared to 77% of patients treated with Herceptin alone..
The recommended dosage is 3.6 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks with a 21-day cycle. The first infusion should be over 90 minutes and the subsequent infusions are over 30 minutes.
Common side effects: nausea, headaches, constipation, musculoskeletal pain, haemorrhage, transaminases etc. (occurring in more than 25% of patients)
Precautions: Do not substitute Trastuzumab for Kadcyla.
- Liver problems (hepatotoxicity)
- Heart problems (e.g. pulmonary or cardiac toxicity)
- Infusion-related reactions
- Decreased platelet counts (thrombocytopenia)
- Embryo-fetal toxicity
The drug is usually used after patients have had Phesgo, and tends to work in most patients for an average of 10 months. Thereafter ENHERTU seems to be the favoured drug, which again uses Herceptin as the carrier to target HER2, delivering a different inhibitor/killing agent.
Go to: 10 ways to improve your chemotherapy success and reduce side-effects
Other articles that you may find interesting are:
- A diet for Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy overview
- A to Z Guide to Complementary Therapies
Go to: Return to the CANCERactive drug list