Trastuzumab Dosing

The trastuzumab dosing guidelines your healthcare provider will follow will vary depending on several factors, such as your weight. The first dose of trastuzumab is usually around 1.8 mg per pound of body weight, given intravenously. The subsequent trastuzumab doses are usually half as much as the first dose.

 

Trastuzumab Dosing: An Introduction

The dose of trastuzumab (Herceptin®) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
 
As is always the case, do not adjust your trastuzumab dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 
Trastuzumab Dosing for Breast Cancer
For your first dose of trastuzumab, the recommended dose is trastuzumab 4 mg per kg of body weight (about 1.8 mg per pound), given intravenously (by IV) over 90 minutes. After that, the recommended dose is half as much, about 0.9 mg per pound, given intravenously over 30 minutes.
 
For preventing cancer from returning after breast cancer surgery, trastuzumab is given once a week for 52 weeks (one year). For treating metastatic breast cancer (that has spread to other parts of the body), trastuzumab is given once a week until the cancer worsens.
 

General Trastuzumab Dosing Information

Considerations for people taking trastuzumab include the following:
 
  • Trastuzumab is given intravenously (by IV) every seven days.
     
  • Your first trastuzumab infusion will last 90 minutes, and subsequent infusions will last 30 minutes.
     
  • Most people receive their trastuzumab infusion at their healthcare provider's office, a hospital, or at an "infusion center."
     
  • For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Trastuzumab will not work as well if you stop taking it before your healthcare provider recommends.
     
  • If you are unsure about anything related to trastuzumab or your trastuzumab dosage, talk to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;