Biological Therapy for Breast Cancer
The newest type of cancer treatment is biological therapy. The most common biological therapy for breast cancer is Herceptin, a laboratory-made antibody. A natural antibody is a molecule made by our bodies to find, fight and destroy foreign cells such as bacteria and viruses. Whereas chemotherapy and radiation target all dividing cells, Herceptin is more targeted breast cancer treatment as it is designed to target cancer cells.
About 25% of breast cancer patients are likely to respond to Herceptin treatment. In these cases, the cancer cells contain large amounts of certain proteins which are growth factor receptors. These growth factor receptors transmit signals to inside the cancer cell which increases cell growth. Herceptin blocks these signals by attaching itself to the growth factor receptor so the ‘growth messages’ no longer get through.
Initially, Herceptin was only licensed to treat advanced breast cancer, but in some places it is now also licensed to treat early breast cancer. This being said, more research is needed to get the full picture of this kind of treatment.
Not all cases are suitable for Herceptin treatment in early breast cancer. In order to ascertain whether a patient is a candidate, the cancer cells have to test positive for a specific protein (HER2), surgery, radiation and chemotherapy treatments must have been completed, the patient’s heart condition must be satisfactory, and they cannot have an existing heart condition that might be affected by the treatment as possible side effects of the treatment is heart problems.