How are monoclonal antibody drugs used in cancer treatment?
Monoclonal antibodies are administered through a vein (intravenously). How often you undergo monoclonal antibody treatment depends on your cancer and what drug you’re receiving. Some monoclonal antibody drugs may be used in combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Others are administered alone. Monoclonal antibody drugs were initially used to treat advanced cancers that hadn’t responded to chemotherapy or cancers that had returned despite treatment. However, because these treatments have proved to be effective, certain monoclonal antibody treatments are being used earlier in the course of the disease. For instance, rituximab can be used as an initial treatment in some types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and trastuzumab (Herceptin) is used in the treatment of some forms of early breast cancer. Many of the monoclonal antibody therapies are still considered experimental. For this reason, these treatments are usually reserved for advanced cancers that aren’
