HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Q3week Herceptin-30mins or 90mins?

jessica · 10-31-2005, 05:37 PM

Just wondering...for those of you on maintenance Herceptin & on the q3week regimen, how long does your infusion take?
The reason I ask is because I just got back from my treatment (my 3rd q3week dose) & they insisted on running the infusion over 90mins. I'm confused & slightly ticked off b/c I only anticipated being there for a 30min infusion.I was there so late tonite I missed my niece in her costume before she went Trick-or-Treating! I've been dealing w/this for 3 1/2 yrs, was on maintenance Herceptin previously for a year until a recurrent spot popped up in my liver, but now I'm NED again (Thank God!).
I've always understood that after the 90min loading dose, subsequent infusion time would be 30 mins, regardless of dosage (qweek or q3week). I recently switched oncs, so this is a different group than when I was on maintenance Herceptin before. Can anyone help clarify? I've checked the Herceptin/
Genentech site & all it says is:
"The recommended initial loading dose is 4 mg/kg Trastuzumab administered as a 90-minute infusion. The recommended weekly maintenance dose is 2 mg/kg Trastuzumab and can be administered as a 30-minute infusion if the initial loading dose was well tolerated."

Oh, here's another bit of info I found on the website that might contribute to all the lethargy & weight gain so many of us have experienced:
Other Serious Adverse Events: The following other serious adverse events occurred in at least one of the 958 patients treated with HERCEPTIN in clinical studies:
Endocrine: hypothyroidism
Thanks in advance! Keep the Faith!

10-31-2005, 05:37 PM	#1
jessica Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 87	Q3week Herceptin-30mins or 90mins? Just wondering...for those of you on maintenance Herceptin & on the q3week regimen, how long does your infusion take? The reason I ask is because I just got back from my treatment (my 3rd q3week dose) & they insisted on running the infusion over 90mins. I'm confused & slightly ticked off b/c I only anticipated being there for a 30min infusion.I was there so late tonite I missed my niece in her costume before she went Trick-or-Treating! I've been dealing w/this for 3 1/2 yrs, was on maintenance Herceptin previously for a year until a recurrent spot popped up in my liver, but now I'm NED again (Thank God!). I've always understood that after the 90min loading dose, subsequent infusion time would be 30 mins, regardless of dosage (qweek or q3week). I recently switched oncs, so this is a different group than when I was on maintenance Herceptin before. Can anyone help clarify? I've checked the Herceptin/ Genentech site & all it says is: "The recommended initial loading dose is 4 mg/kg Trastuzumab administered as a 90-minute infusion. The recommended weekly maintenance dose is 2 mg/kg Trastuzumab and can be administered as a 30-minute infusion if the initial loading dose was well tolerated." Oh, here's another bit of info I found on the website that might contribute to all the lethargy & weight gain so many of us have experienced: Other Serious Adverse Events: The following other serious adverse events occurred in at least one of the 958 patients treated with HERCEPTIN in clinical studies: Endocrine: hypothyroidism Thanks in advance! Keep the Faith!