Tests with Herceptin

[Ray515]

What tests are typically ordered to monitor the heart of a patient who is taking Herceptin once a week and how often are those tests usually performed?

How long after infusion do chemotherapy drugs stay in one's system, specifically Taxotere, Cytoxan, and Herceptin?

Thank you.

[shelley50]

Hi I think your wife and I had been corresponding. How is she doing? Just as the above reply states the MUGA is done every 3 months. My ejection fraction never changed and I was on Herceptin for 1.5 years then another year when I had an inbreast recurrence. I still believe that the Herceptin saved my life.

[Cleveland Clinic]

Dear Ray515, Usually a test that measures the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the heart (the amount of blood that is pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart with each heartbeat), is done for a baseline measurement, and then at intervals during treatment (every 3 months) and upon completion of therapy (every 6 months) for at least two years, these time frames may be altered based on the individual patient situation.   Tests used to monitor LVEF include echocardiogram or MUGA scan.  

The length of time that the various chemotherapy medications leave one’s system are reported in terms of half-life, meaning that in a certain amount of time when measured ½ the amount of the drug would be out of the system.   For taxotere that would be 11 hours, Cytoxan 3-12 hours, and Herceptin given on a weekly basis, the average is 6 days with a range of 1-32 days.