About Breast Cancer
What is Breast Cancer?
Cancer is a general term that refers to cells that grow and multiply out of control and possibly spread to other parts of the body. There are many different types of breast cancer. Each may have different characteristics, and each one may require a different treatment.
Cancer can cause harm in different ways. Cancer cells take nutrition and space away from normal cells. A lump of cancer cells, called a tumor, can invade or destroy normal tissue. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis.
Breast cancer is a common cancer among women in the United States and second only to skin cancer, affecting about 178,480 women in the United States in 2007.
Most breast cancer begins in the milk ducts. These ducts connect the milk-producing glands (called lobules) to the nipple. Some breast cancer begins in the lobules themselves, and the rest begins in other tissues. The diagram shows where these body parts are within the breast.
Breast Cancer Stages
A cancer's stage refers to how much the cancer has grown and where it has spread. Tumors can be noninvasive or invasive.
Noninvasive breast cancer, or carcinoma in situ, is a tumor that has not spread beyond the ducts or the lobules, depending on where it started.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is cancer that is confined to the ducts.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a condition that is confined to the lobules or milk-making glands. Although not considered a true cancer, having LCIS increases the risk of getting cancer later
An invasive tumor has spread beyond where it began, and there are three different stages of invasiveness:
Localized stage: The tumor is still only within the breast
Regional stage: The tumor has spread to the tissue surrounding the breast or there are cancer cells within nearby lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small masses of tissues found throughout the body that are involved in fighting infection. The more lymph nodes with cancer, the more serious the cancer may be
Distant (advanced/metastatic) stage: The tumor has spread away from the breast to other tissues in the body (eg, lung, liver, bone, or brain)
..Who is Herceptin for?
Herceptin is approved for the adjuvant treatment of HER2-overexpressing, node-positive or node-negative (ER/PR-negative or with one high-risk feature) breast cancer. Herceptin can be used several different ways:
As part of a treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel
With docetaxel and carboplatin
As a single agent following multi-modality anthracycline-based therapy
Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is approved for the first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin as a single agent is approved for treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer in patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease.
What important safety information should I know about Herceptin?
Herceptin treatment can result in heart problems, including those without symptoms (reduced heart function) and those with symptoms (congestive heart failure). The risk and seriousness of these heart problems were highest in people who received both Herceptin and a certain type of chemotherapy (anthracycline). Your doctor will stop or strongly consider stopping Herceptin if you have a significant drop in your heart function.
You should be monitored for decreased heart function before your first dose of Herceptin, and frequently during the time you are receiving Herceptin and after your last dose of Herceptin. If you must permanently or temporarily stop Herceptin due to heart problems, you should be monitored more frequently. In one study with Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy, an inadequate blood supply to the heart occurred.
Some patients have had serious infusion reactions and lung problems; fatal infusion reactions have been reported. In most cases, these reactions occurred during or within 24 hours of receiving Herceptin. Your Herceptin infusion should be temporarily stopped if you have shortness of breath or very low blood pressure. Your doctor will monitor you until these symptoms go away. If you have a severe allergic reaction, swelling, lung problems, inflammation of the lung, or severe shortness of breath, your doctor may need to completely stop your Herceptin treatment.
Worsening of low white blood cell counts associated with chemotherapy has also occurred.
Herceptin can cause low amniotic fluid levels and harm to the fetus when taken by a pregnant woman.
The most common side effects associated with Herceptin were fever, nausea, vomiting, infusion reactions, diarrhea, infections, increased cough, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, rash, low white and red blood cells, and muscle pain.
Because everyone is different, it is not possible to predict what side effects any one person will have. If you have questions or concerns about side effects, talk to your doctor.
Please see the Herceptin full prescribing information including Boxed WARNINGS and additional important safety information.
Global References
© 2009 Genentech USA. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service, or treatment. www.webmd.com/treating-her2-breast-cancer/breast-cancer-101
What is Breast Cancer?
Cancer is a general term that refers to cells that grow and multiply out of control and possibly spread to other parts of the body. There are many different types of breast cancer. Each may have different characteristics, and each one may require a different treatment.
Cancer can cause harm in different ways. Cancer cells take nutrition and space away from normal cells. A lump of cancer cells, called a tumor, can invade or destroy normal tissue. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis.
Breast cancer is a common cancer among women in the United States and second only to skin cancer, affecting about 178,480 women in the United States in 2007.
Most breast cancer begins in the milk ducts. These ducts connect the milk-producing glands (called lobules) to the nipple. Some breast cancer begins in the lobules themselves, and the rest begins in other tissues. The diagram shows where these body parts are within the breast.
Breast Cancer Stages
A cancer's stage refers to how much the cancer has grown and where it has spread. Tumors can be noninvasive or invasive.
Noninvasive breast cancer, or carcinoma in situ, is a tumor that has not spread beyond the ducts or the lobules, depending on where it started.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is cancer that is confined to the ducts.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a condition that is confined to the lobules or milk-making glands. Although not considered a true cancer, having LCIS increases the risk of getting cancer later
An invasive tumor has spread beyond where it began, and there are three different stages of invasiveness:
Localized stage: The tumor is still only within the breast
Regional stage: The tumor has spread to the tissue surrounding the breast or there are cancer cells within nearby lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small masses of tissues found throughout the body that are involved in fighting infection. The more lymph nodes with cancer, the more serious the cancer may be
Distant (advanced/metastatic) stage: The tumor has spread away from the breast to other tissues in the body (eg, lung, liver, bone, or brain)
..Who is Herceptin for?
Herceptin is approved for the adjuvant treatment of HER2-overexpressing, node-positive or node-negative (ER/PR-negative or with one high-risk feature) breast cancer. Herceptin can be used several different ways:
As part of a treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel
With docetaxel and carboplatin
As a single agent following multi-modality anthracycline-based therapy
Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is approved for the first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin as a single agent is approved for treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer in patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease.
What important safety information should I know about Herceptin?
Herceptin treatment can result in heart problems, including those without symptoms (reduced heart function) and those with symptoms (congestive heart failure). The risk and seriousness of these heart problems were highest in people who received both Herceptin and a certain type of chemotherapy (anthracycline). Your doctor will stop or strongly consider stopping Herceptin if you have a significant drop in your heart function.
You should be monitored for decreased heart function before your first dose of Herceptin, and frequently during the time you are receiving Herceptin and after your last dose of Herceptin. If you must permanently or temporarily stop Herceptin due to heart problems, you should be monitored more frequently. In one study with Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy, an inadequate blood supply to the heart occurred.
Some patients have had serious infusion reactions and lung problems; fatal infusion reactions have been reported. In most cases, these reactions occurred during or within 24 hours of receiving Herceptin. Your Herceptin infusion should be temporarily stopped if you have shortness of breath or very low blood pressure. Your doctor will monitor you until these symptoms go away. If you have a severe allergic reaction, swelling, lung problems, inflammation of the lung, or severe shortness of breath, your doctor may need to completely stop your Herceptin treatment.
Worsening of low white blood cell counts associated with chemotherapy has also occurred.
Herceptin can cause low amniotic fluid levels and harm to the fetus when taken by a pregnant woman.
The most common side effects associated with Herceptin were fever, nausea, vomiting, infusion reactions, diarrhea, infections, increased cough, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, rash, low white and red blood cells, and muscle pain.
Because everyone is different, it is not possible to predict what side effects any one person will have. If you have questions or concerns about side effects, talk to your doctor.
Please see the Herceptin full prescribing information including Boxed WARNINGS and additional important safety information.
Global References
© 2009 Genentech USA. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service, or treatment. www.webmd.com/treating-her2-breast-cancer/breast-cancer-101
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