Description and Brand Names

Drug information provided by: Micromedex

US Brand Name

  1. Herceptin


Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody. It is used to treat new cases of breast cancer or disease that has spread to other parts of the body. Trastuzumab may prevent the growth of some breast tumors that produce extra amounts of a certain substance known as the HER2 protein. Trastuzumab should only be used in patients whose breast tumors have been shown to produce extra amounts of this protein. It can be used alone or with other cancer medicines (chemotherapy) such as doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, docetaxel, and carboplatin.

Trastuzumab is also used in combination with cisplatin and capecitabine or 5-fluorouracil to treat malignant tumor of the stomach and esophagogastric (esophagus and stomach) cancer, metastatic, HER2 overexpression.


Before you begin treatment with trastuzumab, you and your doctor should talk about the benefits this medicine will do as well as the risks of using it.


Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, trastuzumab is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:

  • Breast cancer, HER2-overexpressing disease, primary treatment in combination with chemotherapy, before surgery.

This product is available in the following dosage forms:

  • Powder for Solution

Before Using





Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of trastuzumab in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.


Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of trastuzumab in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related heart problems, which may require caution in patients receiving trastuzumab.


Information about this trastuzumab-intravenous-route
Pregnancy Category Explanation



Drug Interactions



  • Aclarubicin
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Daunorubicin
  • Daunorubicin Citrate Liposome
  • Doxorubicin
  • Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposome
  • Epirubicin
  • Idarubicin
  • Pirarubicin


  • Warfarin

Other Interactions


Other Medical Problems


  • Heart disease (e.g., cardiomyopathy, heart failure) or
  • Heart rhythm problems (e.g., arrhythmia) or
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure) or
  • Lung disease (e.g., interstitial pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis)—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.
  • Infection—May decrease your body's ability to fight infection.

Proper Use



Trastuzumab must be given slowly, so the IV tube must remain in place for at least 90 minutes.


It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly and to check for any unwanted effects.

Your doctor may test your heart before you start receiving trastuzumab and while you are getting treatments with this medicine. Contact your doctor right away if you experience any chest pain, increased coughing, trouble with breathing, a sudden difficulty with breathing at night, rapid weight gain, or abnormal swelling in your ankles or legs. These could be symptoms of serious heart problems.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant may cause very serious birth defects (e.g., decreased amniotic fluid, bone problems). Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant during treatment and for 6 months after the last dose of this medicine. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away. Your doctor may want you to join a pregnancy registry for patients receiving this medicine.

Trastuzumab may cause a serious side effect called an infusion reaction. This can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have a fever, chills, chest pain, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting, headache, rash, pain, nausea, vomiting, trouble with breathing, or weakness within a few hours after you receive it.

This medicine can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, which increases the chance of getting an infection. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take to reduce the risk of infection:

  • If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor right away if you think you are getting an infection or if you get a fever or chills, a cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or have painful or difficult urination.


Cancer medicines can cause nausea or vomiting in most people, sometimes even after receiving medicines to prevent it. Ask your doctor or nurse about other ways to control these side effects.

Side Effects



More common

  1. Dizziness
  2. fever or chills
  3. headache
  4. muscle aches
  5. nausea or vomiting
  6. shortness of breath
  7. skin rash
  8. sore throat
  9. stuffy or runny nose
  10. unusual tiredness or weakness

Less common

  1. Bloody nose
  2. cough
  3. diarrhea
  4. difficult or labored breathing
  5. ear congestion or pain
  6. fast or irregular heartbeat
  7. general feeling of discomfort or illness
  8. head congestion
  9. hoarseness or other voice changes
  10. increased cough
  11. joint pain
  12. loss of appetite
  13. nasal congestion
  14. pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones
  15. shivering
  16. sneezing
  17. sweating
  18. swelling of the feet or lower legs
  19. tightness in the chest
  20. trouble with sleeping
  21. vomiting
  22. wheezing


  1. Blue lips and fingernails
  2. blurred vision
  3. chest pain
  4. confusion
  5. cough or hoarseness, accompanied by fever or chills
  6. faintness or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position suddenly
  7. itching
  8. large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, feet, or sex organs
  9. lower back or side pain, accompanied by fever or chills
  10. painful or difficult urination, accompanied by fever or chills
  11. pale skin
  12. redness of the skin
  13. trouble with breathing

Incidence not known

  1. Black, tarry stools
  2. bloody or cloudy urine
  3. sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth
  4. unusual bleeding or bruising
  5. weight gain


More common

  1. Pain

Less common

  1. Numbness or tingling of the hands or feet

