HOW HERCEPTIN WORKS?
Herceptin works in a different way than standard cancer therapy, such as chemotherapy or hormone therapies. Herceptin (Trastuzumab) is believed to function in three main ways: 1) Blocking tumour cell growth: Herceptin binds to the HER2 (receptors) on the tumour cell surface and this stops the receptor signalling the cell to grow and divide. 2) Signalling of the immune system: Certain immune system cells, called natural killer (NK) cells, attach to Herceptin when it is bound to the tumour cells. The NK cells then detect an abnormality, and kill the tumour cell. 3) Working with chemotherapy: Herceptin and chemotherapy work in different ways, but when given together, the two drugs can form a partnership (synergy) so kill tumour cells more effectively than either Herceptin or chemotherapy when given alone.
