The Anniversary of the Game-Changer for HER2 Positive Breast Cancer

On November 16, 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved trastuzumab (Herceptin) for use with chemotherapy in women with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Targeted Therapy for the Win

Since 2006, this targeted therapy has changed the outlook for so many of us, improving survival rates for stage 1–3 HER2-positive breast cancer by more than 30 percent, including mine.

In 2023 I learned that I was the 1 in 5 people who are diagnosed with aggressive HER2 breast cancer. It tends to grow and spread faster, but it also has a specific weakness doctors can target.

That’s where Herceptin comes in. It works by blocking the proteins that act like “on switches” for cancer growth, slowing or even stopping the spread.

Because of this game-changing drug, I had a complete response to chemo—and the added confidence that I really could kick cancer’s a$$.

Fourteen months later, I was done with my Herceptin targeted therapy infusions and cancer-free. 💪 🔔

Sources: The ASCO Post, National Cancer Institute, PubMed Central

#factfriday