gastrointestinal side effects of herceptin

[Lani]

Invest New Drugs. 2008 Jul 9. [Epub ahead of print]

Trastuzumab induces gastrointestinal side effects in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer patients.

Al-Dasooqi N, Bowen JM, Gibson RJ, Sullivan T, Lees J, Keefe DM.
Department of Physiology, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia, noor.abdulghafour@student.adelaide.edu.au.
Purpose: To characterise the gastrointestinal toxicities associated with Trastuzumab administration in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer patients. Methods: All patients (n = 46) who received Trastuzumab as a single agent or in conjunction with conventional anti-cancer treatment within the Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre from 2002-2007 were included in this study. A retrospective analysis of case-notes was conducted to investigate the toxicities associated with Trastuzumab. Results: Trastuzumab as a single agent induced toxicities following 22% of administrations. Gastrointestinal toxicities were observed following 12% of administrations and included nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating. However, other prominent toxicities that were not related to the gastrointestinal tract were also observed including fatigue and lung symptoms (10.4%). Elderly patients (>/=60 years) and those with metastatic disease experienced the highest frequency of toxicity. Conclusion: Trastuzumab induces a range of gastrointestinal toxicities in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer patients. These toxicities are separate to those caused by concurrent chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
PMID: 18612591 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher

[Paris]

Hi Lani, Do you know if these side effects continued after treatment with herceptin ended? I'm curious because I had lots of gastro issues while on herceptin and even though I'm six months out from finishing still have them. In fact they are worse this month than ever. I'm hoping it's the last of the herceptin leaving my system. I am going to get myself checked out next week to make sure it's nothing bad.

Jamie

You know I swore that herceptin was causing me gastro issues in 06 but no one believed me. They lasted forever. I finally ended up taking out my gall bladder and then it stopped. Never had an issue with my gall bladder until herceptin.

Finally the research caught up!

Well I am a little shocked about this. I have been on herceptain for 2yrs and 2 mo. I am having to see a GI doc hopefully this week. I also have a very low hemoglobin 9.2 today. Thursday it was 8.4 so they were talking transfusion. They want to do an endoscope? and a colonoscopy? to make sure there is no internal bleeding anywhere causing me to be anemic. I am on Gemzar/herceptain currently.

They tried me on Xeloda/Tykerb and I was not able to tolerate the pills. Very bad upper back pain/indegestion and so they tried protonix which causes awful diahrrea. The pain on those drugs wasso bad I thought I was going to pass out!!! I still have not been the same on Gemzar but I am hopeing we will eventually get it all worked out.