THP Chemo: Taxol + Herceptin + Perjeta
If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer that is HER2-positive, your doctor may recommend you receive THP chemo.
THP chemo is a combination of one chemotherapy and two targeted therapy medicines given over several months. THP can be used to treat people who have early-stage breast cancer as well as people who have breast cancer that has spread to other areas of the body (called metastatic breast cancer). The THP chemo regimen consists of:
Taxol (chemical name: paclitaxel) — chemotherapy
Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab) — targeted therapy
Perjeta (chemical name: pertuzumab) — targeted therapy
How THP chemo works
The three medications in the THP regimen target cancer cells in different ways:
Taxol* is a taxane chemotherapy drug that interferes with the ability of cancer cells to divide.
Herceptin and Perjeta work on the surface of cancer cells by blocking chemical signals that tell the cells to grow.
*Your doctor may decide to use Taxotere, another taxane, instead of Taxol.
How THP chemo is given
THP chemo is given as three separate infusions through an IV or port once every three weeks. Treatment cycles last 21 days. Each drug has a different infusion time in the first cycle:
Taxol: 60 minutes
Herceptin: 90 minutes
Perjeta: 60 minutes
The first infusion may last as long as four hours; the following treatments will usually be shorter.
In some cases, your doctor may opt to give you Phesgo — a fixed-dose combination of Herceptin, Perjeta , and hyaluronidase-zzxf — as an injection over five to eight minutes instead of separate infusions of Herceptin and Perjeta. This will shorten the duration of the infusion.
If you’re receiving THP before having surgery to remove breast cancer, you’ll likely have four rounds of the regimen.
If you’re being treated for metastatic breast cancer, you’ll likely receive THP as long as the cancer growth is controlled and you’re tolerating the medicines well. Your doctor may decide to stop the taxane chemotherapy and continue only the Herceptin and Perjeta if you are responding well to treatment or if you have unacceptable side effects from taxol or taxotere.
THP chemo side effects
While on THP, you may experience any of the common side effects of the individual drugs, including:
susceptibility to infection
fluid retention
numbness in the fingers and toes (neuropathy)
watery eyes
chills
irregular menstrual periods, or temporary or permanent cessation of periods,
Other severe side effects include:
It’s not safe to receive THP if you’re pregnant, as each medication has the potential to cause fetal harm. It’s also not recommended if you’re breastfeeding — the drugs can be passed through breast milk.
Real patient reviews
Members of our community discuss their experiences with THP in the community forum. Here are some of their comments. Remember, it's very important to talk to your doctor about any side effects you're having and ask about ways to manage them.
“My tumor has shown a good response by halving after 3 treatments of THP.” — jackboo09
“I am on THP ... I was pre-menopausal when I started treatment, but THP seems to have pushed me into Chemopause. I have not had a period since June. Tuesday is my last round of THP (I will probably go on HP indefinitely), and I am curious to see if I will still be menopausal when the T part ends.” — scrunchthecat
“I had some brain fog during AC; I'm a university professor who taught through chemo, and I had to write everything down so I could remember what I was supposed to say. Once I moved to THP, the brain fog lifted and I felt that my brain was in a better place. Of course, it was hard to eat during THP because everything tasted weird.” — elainetherese
Read more in our THP discussion forum.
Paying for THP chemo
The cost of THP chemo may vary. The price you’ll pay depends on your health insurance provider and plan, where you live, and the pharmacy you use.
Note: Your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization before covering THP.
If you have trouble paying for THP, ask your pharmacist or care team about financial assistance programs that may be able to help.
Learn more about financial assistance and medicine cost-lowering tips.
— Last updated on April 26, 2025 at 4:53 PM