Effectiveness of Kadcyla & It’s Dosage, Side Effects

Usage of kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is prohibited when you are pregnant. It can be a threat to your unborn baby. It is advisable to use significant birth control measures and also inform your doctor in case you become pregnant during the treatment.

How Effective is Kadcyla?

How Effective is Kadcyla?

Kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is a medicine used to effectively treat cancer by way of interfering with the increase & advancement of cancer cells in the human body.

Kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is effectively useful in treating a specific kind of breast cancer (a mass or lump in the breast) which has advanced to other body parts.

Kadcyla is typically given when other cancer medicines tried do not succeed.

Kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is not a replacement for medicine Herceptin (trastuzumab).

There is a possibility of liver damage when kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is injected. It is advisable to contact the physician instantly if one has the following symptoms:

Before you receive each kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine injection, your heart functioning needs to be examined using an ECG or electrocardiograph (also called as EKG).

Your functioning of heart has to be checked through ECG or electrocardiograph or EKG every time before receiving each kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine injection.

Prior to taking Kadcyla or ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine

Kadcyla is prohibited if you are pregnant or if you are allergic to it.

To ensure kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is okay for you inform your physician if you have:

  • Blood clotting illness like hemophilia or bleeding or
  • Liver disease;
  • Sleep apnea, COPD a.k.a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or other breathing illness.

Pregnant women should not take kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine as it may injure unborn baby by causing birth defects.

Even after 7 months of your last dose of kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine you must take strong birth control measure to restrict pregnancy.

A negative pregnancy test is a requirement before starting kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine treatment and in case you become pregnant you must tell the physician.
Do not breast feed your baby while on this treatment as it is unknown if the medicine will pass through breast milk to the baby.

How is Kadcyla or Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine Administered to Patients?

Physician will perform various tests in order to determine if kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine will be the perfect drug to treat the cancer and then start treatment.
Kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is given to the patient by injecting through vein through IV. This will be done only by a health care specialist.

When the IV is injected and if you have any kind of pain/swelling, irritation or itching surrounding the IV needle you must tell your doctor immediately.

Your physician will decide how long you must be on kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine and in most cases it is given for three weeks after which the body will not respond to the medicine.

There are several medical tests that will need to be done while this treatment is going on in order to make sure kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine is safe and has positive results in your body. Due to these medical tests, your cancer treatment will be delayed from time to time.

What is the Suggested Dosage of Kadcyla or Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine?

Treatment for the Breast Cancer – General Adult Dosage

  • Regular kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine dosage – once in every three weeks 3.6mg/kg IV
  • Maximum kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine dosage – once in every three weeks 3.6mg/kg IV
  • Therapy duration. The treatment has to be continued until the illness advancement or until body stops responding to kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine.
  • It is important to carefully watch the first 90 minutes of infusion and the other infusions can be administrated over thirty minutes of infusion
  • It is important to not substitute kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine with trastuzumab.

What are the Side Effects of Kadcyla?

There are chances of the patient to see signs of side effects of kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine at the time of injection. In case you start to feel cold, feverish, feel chest heaviness, light headed, rapid heartbeat, sweaty, difficulty in breathing, you must tell your doctor or health care specialist.

If you have any allergic reactions such as swelling of tongue, face, throat, lips, and difficulty in breathing or hives you must get immediate medical help Kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine can damage your liver in different ways. In case you see any problems or symptoms of liver diseases such as itching, dark color stool, upper stomach pain, jaundice, loss of appetite, you must get immediate medical assistance

Also get immediate medical assistance if one has any of these conditions or reactions:

  • Problems with speech, walking, eye movement, breathing, swallowing
  • Tingling or numbness in feet or hands
  • Tarry or bloody stools, vomit looking like coffee grounds, coughing blood
  • Fluttering in chest, pounding heartbeats
  • Severe dizziness, rapid weight gain, swelling
  • Confusion, sudden weakness or numbness in any one particular side of your body, sudden severe headache,
  • Low WBC or white blood cell count symptoms – pain when swallowing, cough, hurtful mouth sores, fever, difficulty in breathing, skin sores, swollen gums, flu signs, cough
  • Wheezing, sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, discomfort
  • Unusual bleeding in vagina, nose, rectum, mouth, easy bruising, red or purple spots under skin

Here are the other common side effects of kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine:

  • Muscle pain, joint pain
  • Tired feeling, headache
  • Bleeding, easy bruising
  • Constipation and nausea are also side effects of kadcyla or ado-trastuzumab emtansine.
Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:June 5, 2019

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