Kadcyla
Brand name: Kadcyla
Chemical name: T-DM1 or ado-trastuzumab emtansine
Class: Antibody-drug conjugate targeted therapy. Kadcyla is a combination of the targeted therapy Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab) and the chemotherapy medicine emtansine. The emtansine is attached (conjugated) to the Herceptin.
Enhertu is another antibody-drug conjugate targeted therapy used to treat breast cancer.
Uses: Kadcyla is used to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that has previously been treated with Herceptin and a taxane chemotherapy.
Kadcyla also is used to treat early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer after surgery if residual disease was found after neoadjuvant (before surgery) treatment with Herceptin and taxane chemotherapy.
How it’s given: Kadcyla is given intravenously.
Additional information: Emtansine, like some other chemotherapy medicines, disrupts the way cells grow. Emtansine isn’t a targeted medicine, which means it can affect healthy cells as well as cancer cells. Kadcyla was designed to deliver emtansine to cancer cells in a targeted way by attaching emtansine to Herceptin. Herceptin then carries emtansine to the HER2-positive cancer cells.
Side effects:
- heart problems
- lung problems
- liver problems
- tiredness/fatigue
- nausea
- bone and joint pain
- muscle pain
- low blood platelet count
- headaches
- constipation
- nerve damage
- low red blood cell count
- low potassium levels
Read more about Kadcyla.
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