Is pertuzumab a chemotherapy?
Drug Type:
Pertuzumab is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug. This medication is classified as an "antineoplastic agent and a monoclonal antibody".
The median OS was higher in patients receiving pertuzumab (40.2; 95% CI, 35.6-47.8 months) than in the control patients (25.3; 95% CI, 22.8-27.6 months), a median OS improvement of 14.9 months. Pertuzumab was associated with reduced mortality (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.57-0.79).
Chemotherapy drugs, such as docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and pegfilgrastim, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading.
Before surgery, pertuzumab is given for three to six cycles alongside trastuzumab and chemotherapy. After surgery, it's given alongside trastuzumab and chemotherapy for around one year. Some people have pertuzumab before and after surgery. Up to 18 cycles can be given in total.
Perjeta™ is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug. This medication is classified as an "antineoplastic agent and a monoclonal antibody".
Official answer. Perjeta (generic name: pertuzumab) is considered a targeted cancer therapy, which is different from chemotherapy.
Hormonal therapy is considered the standard initial treatment for HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer that is also hormone receptor-positive. It is often given in combination with targeted therapy. However, chemotherapy may also be given. A clinical trial may also be an option for treatment at any stage.
HER2-positive breast cancer is highly curable because of the availability of these HER2-targeted therapies, so we treat patients fairly aggressively upfront to reduce the risk of them experiencing a stage IV recurrence.
Pertuzumab targets the extracellular dimerization domain (subdomain II) of HER2, thereby inhibiting ligand-initiated intracellular signaling via the MAP kinase and PI3K pathways. Inhibition of these pathways results in inhibition of cell growth and the initiation of apoptosis, respectively.
HER2-directed therapy — Most women with HER2-positive breast cancer will receive one or more chemotherapy drugs plus trastuzumab, the anti-HER2 antibody. Many studies have shown that these treatments dramatically improve survival for women with HER2-positive breast cancer.
Does pertuzumab affect immune system?
About: Pertuzumab (Perjeta®)
These antibodies can work in different ways, including stimulating the immune system to kill the cell, blocking cell growth, or other functions necessary for cell growth. Pertuzumab targets HER2-positive breast cancer cells. HER2 is overexpressed in about 25 – 30% of breast cancers.
Pertuzumab is a monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies work by attaching to proteins on or in cancer cells. Human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) is a protein that makes cells grow and divide.

Compared with placebo, pertuzumab increased the risk of clinical heart failure (HF; RR [95% CI]: 1.97 [1.05-3.70]; I2 = 0%).
HER2-positive breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous tumor, and about 30% of patients still suffer from recurrence and metastasis after trastuzumab targeted therapy.
PERJETA may cause heart problems, including those without symptoms (such as reduced heart function) and those with symptoms (such as congestive heart failure). Receiving PERJETA during pregnancy can result in the death of an unborn baby and birth defects.
Corticosteroids, often simply called steroids, are natural hormones and hormone-like drugs that are useful in the treatment of many types of cancer, as well as other illnesses. When these drugs are used as part of cancer treatment, they are considered chemotherapy drugs. Examples of corticosteroids include: Prednisone.
Some of the most common side effects with Perjeta include: diarrhea, alopecia, neutropenia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, rash, low red or white blood cells, and nerve damage.
PERJETA is given with another targeted treatment called Herceptin. Both treatments are designed to fight cancer cells that have too many HER2 receptors, but in different ways. Since normal cells also have HER2 receptors (just not as many), PERJETA and Herceptin can also affect healthy cells.
Because HER2-positive cancer is considered more aggressive than HER2-negative breast cancer, it is usually treated with chemotherapy after surgery to reduce recurrence risk.
You should receive a total of 1 year (up to 18 cycles) of treatment with PERJETA and Herceptin. This includes any PERJETA and Herceptin you may have been given before surgery. Your treatment may be stopped sooner if your side effects become too difficult to manage or if the cancer comes back.
Does HER2-negative require chemo?
Most instances of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, node-negative breast cancer <1 cm (T1b), and all cancers ≤0.5 cm (T1a), have a good prognosis with endocrine therapy alone, and do not typically require adjuvant chemotherapy.
If your HER2-negative cancer is caught early, a surgeon may be able to remove it completely. Your doctor might also recommend radiation before or after surgery. Endocrine therapy. If your HER2-negative cancer is positive for hormone receptors, your doctor might suggest endocrine (hormone) therapy.
In normal cells, HER2 helps control cell growth. Cancer cells that are HER2 negative may grow more slowly and are less likely to recur (come back) or spread to other parts of the body than cancer cells that have a large amount of HER2 on their surface.
Conclusion. Based on our case, although rare, patients with treated, operable, hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer can present with solitary brain metastasis as the only sign of disease recurrence.
The 4-year survival rates are as follows: HR+/HER2-: 92.5% HR+/HER2+: 90.3% HR-/HER2+: 82.7%