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I really agree with the other posts. Try it weekly, then 3 weeks if all goes well. You can always change back.
But I did find the following whixh states that as far as cardiotoxicity, there is no difference.
Regards
Joe
Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Update from SABCS 2004
Date: December 8-11, 2004
Location: San Antonio, TX
Author: Edith A. Perez, MD, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, FL
Introduction
At the 2004 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), several presentations related to management of patients with metastatic breast cancer provided clinically relevant information and many of them built and expanded on targeted approaches to this disease. These involved phase I and phase II trials of targeted therapies, new formulations of existing agents, as well as new combination treatments of already available chemotherapeutic options.
Targeted Therapies
Baselga and colleagues reported on the efficacy and safety of every-3-week Herceptin® (trastuzumab) monotherapy in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who had not received prior chemotherapy for MBC. [1]HER2-positivity was defined as 3+ by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or positive by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). One hundred and five patients with a median number of 2 metastatic sites were enrolled (22 were not evaluable, as they did not have HER2-positive tumor or measurable disease). In patients with proven HER2-positive measurable disease (n=83 patients), the response rate to Herceptin® (8 mg/kg loading dose followed by 6mg/kg dose every 3 weeks) was 24%. If patients who achieved disease stabilization for ≥ 6 months are added, then the “clinical benefit rate” was 36%. Median duration of response was 8.3months, with a median progression-free survival of 1.4 months. Safety analysis demonstrated that 16% of assessed patients had decreases of LVEF ≥ 15% and 13% had an absolute value below 50%; only 1 patient had a symptomatic cardiac event. Conclusions from this study included that the safety and efficacy of every-3-week Herceptin® are similar to those reported with weekly Herceptin®, but this new schedule can improve patient convenience, which is especially relevant in patients receiving this treatment for prolonged periods of time.
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