Without trastuzumab, DM1 results in such difficult side effects that it was not considered a viable treatment until this study.ĮMILIA consisted of 978 participants whose HER2 positive metastatic breast cancers no longer responded to trastuzumab. A burgeoning area in cancer research, antibody-drug conjugates pair chemotherapy with targeted medicine to deliver chemotherapy’s powerful effects directly to the tumor while sparing healthy cells from its toxic effects. T-DM1 is the first antibody-drug conjugate to be studied on a large scale. Treatment doses are sometimes reduced to manage side effects, which could make therapy less effective. Like all chemotherapy, capecitabine damages not only cancer cells but also healthy tissue, causing side effects such as nausea, vomiting and fatigue, as well as redness, swelling and blistering on the hands and feet ( hand-foot syndrome).
T DM1 SIDE EFFECTS PLUS
Standard treatment for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer that grows despite trastuzumab treatment is lapatinib (Tykerb) plus capecitabine (Xeloda), a chemotherapy medicine. These results showed that people with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer treated with T-DM1 also had a significantly longer rate of overall survival, the time a person lives from research study participation until death from any cause. In an Oct.1 news release, Genentech, the maker of trastuzumab and T-DM1, announced updated survival results from the study.
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The study, first presented at the June 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, suggests trastuzumab emtansine, or T-DM1, not only targets cancer cells directly, but also decreases the chance of or delays some side effects.Ĭompared to standard therapy, T-DM1 showed an increase in progression-free survival, the time during and after treatment the cancer remains stable.
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Results from the international EMILIA study suggest a new effective treatment for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer, using trastuzumab (Herceptin) linked with the potent chemotherapy DM1.