Thank you, Dr Griggs. I’m HER2+. Currently on both of them (Phesgo) + Docetaxel + Carboplatin. The fatigue weakness and nausea are severe the first 7 days after chemotherapy. Thank you so much for the explanation!
These can be tough medications to tolerate. In particular, pertuzumab has more toxicity as does the chemotherapy itself. Please make sure to let your medical team know how severe your symptoms are so that they can give you the absolute best support.
Hello and thank you for your question! Combining trastuzumab (Herceptin) with docetaxel has been shown to be very effective in treating HER2-positive breast cancer. For our other viewers, docetaxel is a chemotherapy drug. Receiving these medications one after another, while not typical, is likely to offer similar benefit. Trastuzumab is often combined with pertuzumab for enhanced efficacy as they both target the HER2 receptor but in slightly different ways, providing a more comprehensive blockade of the cancer growth signals. A key study, known as the CLEOPATRA trial, demonstrated that the combination of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and docetaxel significantly improved survival rates in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Great info. I was on chemo with both drugs. I experienced the shortness of breath and diarrhea . Once chemo was done the shortness of breath went away within 30 days even though I still i got the her2 drugs. Still get diarrhea but it is manageable.
We're glad you found this video helpful! It's reassuring to hear that the shortness of breath resolved after finishing treatment. We hope the diarrhea resolves soon. Wishing you continued comfort.
im in my 7th cycle of trastuzumab done mastectomy, er pr (-) her2+, stage 0, do im getting the right treatment? in ur opinion please,thanks and more power to ur up coming videos
In general, targeted therapy with anti-HER2 therapy is not given for people with Stage 0 disease. The exception would be in people on a clinical trial.
Thank you Dr Griggs, this information is perfect, I've tried to do some research myself for my mothers ER+, PR-, HER2+ cancer and everything Dr Griggs said in this video about the 2 drugs tracks with what our medical oncologist shared with us. She is currently on 3 cycles of Docetaxel, Trastuzumab + Pertuzumab, followed by 3 cycles of fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (FEC). This is neoadjuvant chemo before surgery, I hope it goes well... The fatigue is real on the 3rd/4th day after chemo but it definitely gets better! Stay strong everyone
I hope that you have a subscription to this channel. Dr. Griggs has many videos and you should view them. You don't have to wait for them to come in your channel feed. I wish that I had this as a reference during my chemo treatment. Use it to reinforce the information that your oncologist gives you. It is very hard and stressful to search for information as there is a lot of garbage on the internet. Remember there is hope. There is always hope.
Thank you for your kind words. We're glad the information was helpful and aligns with what your medical oncologist shared. The fatigue on the 3rd/4th day after chemo is common, but it's encouraging that it typically improves. Wishing your mother strength and success with her treatment and upcoming surgery.
Thank you. This was helpful. I had to look up the other names for these medicines since my doctor called them Herceptin and Perjeta. I had them both at the same time before surgery. At first they game me a combo of them both together in a shot, but it was extremely painful for me. It was a 6 minute "push" which I had never heard of before. It was extremely painful and later I opted for an IV drip which made the infusion longer, but less painful. Please consider discussing Kadcyla. I was on that for 14 rounds. I had a difficult time tolerating it. Thanks!
Everyone is different I get a pill a half hour before I get the leg injection. As I have had 59 of them and each are different. The last one was painless. Some feel like being stung by a hornet, others burn just a little. It is dependent on your nurse and the location it hits, nerves and capillaries of your body. As I do not have a large amount of fat I squeeze my thigh while it is being given and release it before the remove the needle. I believe this is helpful as if a drop of the drug hits the surface of your skin it burns. Good luck with your journey. You have only just begun to live! I am grateful for life and the pain just gives me an opportunity to enjoy more time on earth.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds like you went through a lot with Herceptin and Perjeta, and we're sorry to hear about the painful "push" injections. Switching to an IV drip sounds like it made a big difference. We appreciate your suggestion to discuss Kadcyla-14 rounds is a lot to endure. We'll consider covering it in a future video.
I have been in remission/maintenance for 3 years. I get pertuzumab/trastuzamab in my leg every 21 days. I have never had surgery. It is no longer in my breast, but remains in my bone and is monitored every 4 months. My side effects are mild and only a little neuropathy remains in my feet and mostly acts up at night. My cancer marker blood test is very low in the normal range.
Thank you for sharing your story and being part of our Yerbba community. It's encouraging to hear that your side effects are mild and your cancer markers are low.
Only 9 times Trastuzumab to go!!🎉 45 times done. I hate it. Trastuzumab is for my body the worst. So many side effects. Pray, they’ll go away again. E.g. polyarthritis.
We're sorry to hear about the difficult side effects you're experiencing with trastuzumab. You've made incredible progress with 45 treatments completed.
Thank you, Dr. Griggs, for your continuous updates on breast cancer (health).
Thank you for watching and being part of the Yerbba community!
Thank you, Dr Griggs. I’m HER2+. Currently on both of them (Phesgo) + Docetaxel + Carboplatin. The fatigue weakness and nausea are severe the first 7 days after chemotherapy. Thank you so much for the explanation!
These can be tough medications to tolerate. In particular, pertuzumab has more toxicity as does the chemotherapy itself. Please make sure to let your medical team know how severe your symptoms are so that they can give you the absolute best support.
Greeting Doctor Griggs !
I had TRAZTUZUMAB FOR 18 DOSES ..AND DOXATEL FOR 6 DOSES ...DOES TRAZTUZUMAB AND DOAXTEL TOGETHER WORK BETTER ???
Hello and thank you for your question! Combining trastuzumab (Herceptin) with docetaxel has been shown to be very effective in treating HER2-positive breast cancer. For our other viewers, docetaxel is a chemotherapy drug. Receiving these medications one after another, while not typical, is likely to offer similar benefit.
Trastuzumab is often combined with pertuzumab for enhanced efficacy as they both target the HER2 receptor but in slightly different ways, providing a more comprehensive blockade of the cancer growth signals.
A key study, known as the CLEOPATRA trial, demonstrated that the combination of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and docetaxel significantly improved survival rates in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Great info. I was on chemo with both drugs. I experienced the shortness of breath and diarrhea . Once chemo was done the shortness of breath went away within 30 days even though I still i got the her2 drugs. Still get diarrhea but it is manageable.
We're glad you found this video helpful! It's reassuring to hear that the shortness of breath resolved after finishing treatment. We hope the diarrhea resolves soon. Wishing you continued comfort.
im in my 7th cycle of trastuzumab done mastectomy, er pr (-) her2+, stage 0, do im getting the right treatment? in ur opinion please,thanks and more power to ur up coming videos
In general, targeted therapy with anti-HER2 therapy is not given for people with Stage 0 disease. The exception would be in people on a clinical trial.
Thank you Dr Griggs, this information is perfect, I've tried to do some research myself for my mothers ER+, PR-, HER2+ cancer and everything Dr Griggs said in this video about the 2 drugs tracks with what our medical oncologist shared with us. She is currently on 3 cycles of Docetaxel, Trastuzumab + Pertuzumab, followed by 3 cycles of fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (FEC).
This is neoadjuvant chemo before surgery, I hope it goes well...
The fatigue is real on the 3rd/4th day after chemo but it definitely gets better! Stay strong everyone
I hope that you have a subscription to this channel. Dr. Griggs has many videos and you should view them. You don't have to wait for them to come in your channel feed. I wish that I had this as a reference during my chemo treatment. Use it to reinforce the information that your oncologist gives you. It is very hard and stressful to search for information as there is a lot of garbage on the internet. Remember there is hope. There is always hope.
Thank you for your kind words. We're glad the information was helpful and aligns with what your medical oncologist shared. The fatigue on the 3rd/4th day after chemo is common, but it's encouraging that it typically improves. Wishing your mother strength and success with her treatment and upcoming surgery.
Thank you. This was helpful. I had to look up the other names for these medicines since my doctor called them Herceptin and Perjeta. I had them both at the same time before surgery. At first they game me a combo of them both together in a shot, but it was extremely painful for me. It was a 6 minute "push" which I had never heard of before. It was extremely painful and later I opted for an IV drip which made the infusion longer, but less painful. Please consider discussing Kadcyla. I was on that for 14 rounds. I had a difficult time tolerating it. Thanks!
Everyone is different I get a pill a half hour before I get the leg injection. As I have had 59 of them and each are different. The last one was painless. Some feel like being stung by a hornet, others burn just a little. It is dependent on your nurse and the location it hits, nerves and capillaries of your body. As I do not have a large amount of fat I squeeze my thigh while it is being given and release it before the remove the needle. I believe this is helpful as if a drop of the drug hits the surface of your skin it burns. Good luck with your journey. You have only just begun to live! I am grateful for life and the pain just gives me an opportunity to enjoy more time on earth.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds like you went through a lot with Herceptin and Perjeta, and we're sorry to hear about the painful "push" injections. Switching to an IV drip sounds like it made a big difference. We appreciate your suggestion to discuss Kadcyla-14 rounds is a lot to endure. We'll consider covering it in a future video.
I have been in remission/maintenance for 3 years. I get pertuzumab/trastuzamab in my leg every 21 days. I have never had surgery. It is no longer in my breast, but remains in my bone and is monitored every 4 months. My side effects are mild and only a little neuropathy remains in my feet and mostly acts up at night. My cancer marker blood test is very low in the normal range.
Thank you for sharing your story and being part of our Yerbba community. It's encouraging to hear that your side effects are mild and your cancer markers are low.
can these meds cause hair loss?
Although less common, both trastuzumab and pertuzumab can cause hair thinning or loss in some patients.
Only 9 times Trastuzumab to go!!🎉 45 times done.
I hate it. Trastuzumab is for my body the worst. So many side effects. Pray, they’ll go away again. E.g. polyarthritis.
We're sorry to hear about the difficult side effects you're experiencing with trastuzumab. You've made incredible progress with 45 treatments completed.
I hate CANCER
We feel the same way. Cancer is truly terrible.