pertuzumab
Meaning of pertuzumab: Pertuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks HER2 receptor pairing, used together with other therapies to treat HER2 positive breast cancer.
Definition of pertuzumab
Pertuzumab is a laboratory made monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of breast cancer whose cells carry excess amounts of a protein called HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. It is given by intravenous infusion, typically alongside another HER2 targeted antibody, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy.
HER2 normally sits on the surface of cells and, when paired with a partner receptor, sends signals that drive cell growth and division. Pertuzumab attaches to a different part of the HER2 protein than trastuzumab does, blocking it from pairing with other receptors in the same family, which interferes with the growth signaling that HER2 positive cancer cells depend on.
Because pertuzumab and trastuzumab block HER2 at different sites, combining the two antibodies interrupts the signaling pathway more completely than either antibody alone, an approach used both before surgery and for cancer that has spread beyond the breast.
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Used in a sentence
Pertuzumab was added to the patient's trastuzumab based regimen for HER2 positive breast cancer.
Good to know
Pertuzumab is approved only for HER2 positive breast cancer confirmed by laboratory testing, since the drug provides no benefit against tumors that do not overexpress the HER2 protein.