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Trastuzumab
About Trastuzumab
A monoclonal antibody targeting HER2 positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab or Herceptin treats the roughly 15 to 20 percent of breast cancers that overexpress the HER2 protein. Before trastuzumab, HER2 positive breast cancer was aggressive and difficult to treat. Herceptin improved survival dramatically. The drug was developed by Genentech and became one of the most successful cancer drugs ever. Trastuzumab can cause heart damage, requiring cardiac monitoring. It demonstrated that monoclonal antibodies could treat cancer effectively.
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