Could Herceptin help us too?

fireba

I wondered if anyone else saw this article in the New York Times about some Her2- women experiencing lower rates of recurrence after using Herceptin. Apparently their tumors were initally found to be Her2+, so they received the drug, but later testing found them to be Her2-.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/health...abf&ei=5070

Has anyone spoken with her doctor about the quality and consistency of Her2 testing, or if her tumor should be retested? Anyone have any additional info about this?

nosurrender

I firmly believe this. ER/PR Negative Tumors have an over abundance of epidermal growth factor receptors. Herceptin and ESPECIALLY TYKERB the NEWEST GENERATION of anti-Her2 drugs, DECREASES the number of EGFR.

Also, I read that tripnegs are being studied to see if we may be Her1 positive- which would then also make us great candidates for Tykerb and Herceptin.

I firmly believe in the next few years, trip negs will be on some sort of anti-Her2 drug.

FloridaLady

I am being treated at MD Anderson Houston Phase I drug trials. I know they are testing triple neg ladies who did not response to other chemos. I trials now you must have no mets other than local. (breast) They also have discussed with me trying the HER2 vaccine. If you are Her2++ fish negative. For this no current mets. I believe to before long they will be giving us some of the Her2 drugs with other to over the bases.

FloridaLady

I would like to share more of what I have been finding out the last few months about triple negs from going through 3 top cancer centers and 7 diff. chemos in 18mths. Triple neg. is a generic name for bc with unknown receptor. Meaning researchers do not have the technology to break it down. The only good thing abiut this is that everyone can responsed differently to treatment. Because we each may be different kind of receptor. So you are "you" and you will not know anything until you try the treatments. I have been told this week I am ahead of technology and they do not know what to do. This from MD Anderson Houston rated #2 in the world. To show how diff. I am I have no mets after two (diff) mast. with 27/28 nodes positive on both sides.(also spread to inflam. after 1st mast.) They have told me after running all over the country that if I want add'l tx it will have to be Phase 1 trials that are very chancy on triple neg but you will not know to you try the tx. I just did a Phase 1 at Houston for aroplatnium and did not responsed and now due to large dose have server neuropathy. My next possible tx is a drug (not chemo) that was design for lukeima???? This is not a good place to be. But hope to fight long enough for science catches up to me. I told my dc I will have him rewriting the book on triple negs.

Fight the fight its worth it. Living in hope.
If you have multiple tumors get them all checked because they could have diff. receptors. My dc was hoping I changed to Her2 because then they had more drugs for me.
Who would have guessed.

nosurrender

You have a GREAT attitude! You go girl!!

BTW- this September I will be six years out of my tripneg dx.
The tripneg did not come back. I have lobular now- totally different cancer unrelated to my first one.

IT CAN BE BEATEN!