Indications & Uses
Trastunix is indicated for:
Dosage Reference
Reference Information Only
Dosages shown are general references from official sources. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized dosing.
Adults:
Recommended doses and schedules for Trastuzumab are given below. It must not be given as an intravenous push or bolus, and it must not be mixed with other drugs. For adjuvant treatment of breast cancer, Trastuzumab is given according to one of the following doses and schedules for a total of 52 weeks of therapy. When given during and following paclitaxel, docetaxel, or docetaxel with carboplatin, the initial dose is 4 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 90 minutes, followed by 2 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 30 minutes weekly during chemotherapy for the first 12 weeks (paclitaxel or docetaxel) or 18 weeks (docetaxel with carboplatin). One week after the last weekly dose, Trastuzumab is given at 6 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 30 to 90 minutes every three weeks. When given as a single agent within three weeks after completing a multi-modality, anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimen, the initial dose is 8 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 90 minutes, with subsequent doses of 6 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 30 to 90 minutes every three weeks. Extending adjuvant treatment beyond one year is not recommended. For metastatic breast cancer, Trastuzumab is given alone or in combination with paclitaxel at an initial dose of 4 mg/kg as a 90-minute intravenous infusion, followed by subsequent once-weekly doses of 2 mg/kg as 30-minute intravenous infusions until the disease progresses. For metastatic gastric cancer, Trastuzumab is given at an initial dose of 8 mg/kg as a 90-minute intravenous infusion, followed by subsequent doses of 6 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 30 to 90 minutes every three weeks until the disease progresses. Or, as directed by the registered physician.
Side Effects
The most serious adverse reactions caused by Trazuma include cardiomyopathy, infusion reactions, embryo-fetal toxicity, pulmonary toxicity, and exacerbation of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. The most common adverse reactions in patients receiving Trazuma in the adjuvant and metastatic breast cancer setting are fever, nausea, vomiting, infusion reactions, diarrhea, infections, increased cough, headache, fatigue, dyspnea, rash, neutropenia, anemia, and myalgia.
Cautions & Contraindications
Warnings & Precautions
Cardiomyopathy: Trazuma can cause left ventricular cardiac dysfunction, arrhythmias, hypertension, disabling cardiac failure, cardiomyopathy, and cardiac death. Trazuma can also cause asymptomatic decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). There is a 4-6 fold increase in the incidence of symptomatic myocardial dysfunction among patients receiving Trazuma as a single agent or in combination therapy compared with those not receiving Trazuma. The highest absolute incidence occurs when Trazuma is administered with an anthracycline. Withhold Trazuma for ≥ 16% absolute decrease in LVEF from pre treatment values or an LVEF value below institutional limits of normal and ≥ 10% absolute decrease in LVEF from pretreatment values. The safety of continuation or resumption of Trazuma in patients with Trazuma-induced left ventricular cardiac dysfunction has not been studied.Cardiac Monitoring: Conduct thorough cardiac assessment, including history, physical examination, and determination of LVEF by echocardiogram or MUGA scan. The following schedule is recommended: Baseline LVEF measurement immediately prior to initiation of Trazuma LVEF measurements every 3 months during and upon completion of Trazuma Repeat LVEF measurement at 4 week intervals if Trazuma is withheld for significant left ventricular cardiac dysfunction. LVEF measurements every 6 months for at least 2 years following completion of Trazuma as a component of adjuvant therapy. Infusion Reactions: Infusion reactions consist of a symptom complex characterized by fever and chills, and on occasion included nausea, vomiting, pain (in some cases at tumor sites), headache, dizziness, dyspnea, hypotension, rash, and asthenia. Serious and fatal infusion reactions have been reported. Severe reactions, which include bronchospasm, anaphylaxis, angioedema, hypoxia, and severe hypotension, were usually reported during or immediately following the initial infusion. However, the onset and clinical course were variable, including progressive worsening, initial improvement followed by clinical deterioration, or delayed post-infusion events with rapid clinical deterioration. For fatal events, death occurred within hours to days following a serious infusion reaction. Interrupt Trazuma infusion in all patients experiencing dyspnea, clinically significant hypotension, and intervention of medical therapy administered (which may include epinephrine, corticosteroids, diphenhydramine, bronchodilators, and oxygen). Patients should be evaluated and carefully monitored until complete resolution of signs and symptoms. Permanent discontinuation should be strongly considered in all patients with severe infusion reactions. There are no data regarding the most appropriate method of identification of patients who may safely be retreated with Trazuma after experiencing a severe infusion reaction. Prior to resumption of Trazuma infusion, the majority of patients who experienced a severe infusion reaction were pre-medicated with antihistamines and/or corticosteroids. While some patients tolerated Trazuma infusions, others had recurrent severe infusion reactions despite pre-medications.Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: Trazuma can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Use of Trazuma during pregnancy resulted in cases of oligohydramnios and oligohydramnios sequence manifesting as pulmonary hypoplasia, skeletal abnormalities, and neonatal death. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and for 7 months following the last dose of Trazuma.Pulmonary Toxicity: Trazuma use can result in serious and fatal pulmonary toxicity. Pulmonary toxicity includes dyspnea, interstitial pneumonitis, pulmonary infiltrates, pleural effusions, non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, pulmonary insufficiency and hypoxia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and pulmonary fibrosis. Such events can occur as sequelae of infusion reactions. Patients with symptomatic intrinsic lung disease or with extensive tumor involvement of the lungs, resulting in dyspnea at rest, appear to have more severe toxicity.Exacerbation of Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia: In randomized, controlled clinical trials, the per-patient incidences of NCI-CTC Grade 3-4 neutropenia and of febrile neutropenia were higher in patients receiving Trazuma in combination with myelosuppressive chemotherapy as compared to those who received chemotherapy alone. The incidence of septic death was similar among patients who received Trazuma and those who did not.