Kadcyla
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Active Ingredient: trastuzumab emtansine
Product Overview
About Kadcyla
Kadcyla is a cancer medicine that contains the active substance trastuzumab emtansine.
What it is used for
Kadcyla is used to treat advanced or metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) in adults who previously received trastuzumab and a taxane (type of cancer medicine). Kadcyla can only be used when the cancer has been shown to ‘overexpress HER2’: this means that the cancer cell produces on its surface large quantities of a protein which stimulates the growth of the cancer cell and is called HER2 (human epidermal growth factor).
How it is used
Kadcyla can only be obtained with a prescription and treatment should be prescribed by a doctor and given under the supervision of a healthcare professional who is experienced in the treatment of cancer patients. Kadcyla is available as a powder that is made up into a solution for infusion (drip) into a vein. The dose to be given depends on the patient’s bodyweight and the infusion is repeated every 3 weeks. Patients who tolerate the first 90-minute infusion can receive subsequent infusions over 30 minutes. Patients may remain on treatment unless the disease gets worse or unless they no longer tolerate treatment. Patients should be observed during and after the infusion for any infusion-related reactions such as flushing, shivering fits and fever. In patients who develop allergic reactions or side effects, the treating doctor may have to reduce the dose or stop treatment with Kadcyla.
How it works
The active substance in Kadcyla, trastuzumab emtansine, is made up of two active components which are linked together: Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody (a type of protein) that has been designed to recognise and attach to the protein HER2, which is found in large quantities on the surface of some cancer cells. By attaching to HER2, trastuzumab activates cells of the immune system, which then kill the cancer cells. Trastuzumab also stops HER2 from stimulating the growth of the cancer cells. About a quarter of breast cancers overexpress HER2. DM1, a toxic substance that kills cells when they attempt to divide and grow. DM1 becomes active once Kadcyla enters the cancer cell. It attaches to a protein in cells called ‘tubulin’, which is important in the formation of the internal ‘skeleton’ that cells need to assemble when they divide. By attaching to tubulin in cancer cells, DM1 stops the formation of this skeleton, preventing the division and growth of the cancer cells.
Active substance: trastuzumab emtansine
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