Isn't HER2 negative a good thing ?

ijl

I apologize for this uninformed question. I was diagnosed with DCIS and upon the lumpectomy they found out 2mm of
IDC as well which turned to be triple negative.
Since I found this today, I did some obligatory Internet research. As I understood it HER2 negative indicated a slower less aggressive tumor. So shouldn't this be a good thing ?

twink

Funny you should ask that Inna...I asked the same thing of my breast surgeon when I was first diagnosed. I think the answer is 'sort of'...it's good to be HER2/neu negative but then there is Herceptin, which targets that receptor. In the case of triple negative, there are no targeted therapies.

FloridaLady

I have found out that Twink is on the right track. I had 18 mths of treating triple neg with 7 chemos. I have had seven biopcy with my dr praying that I would have more Her2 receptor. (I'm Her2++ Fish negative) I may be finally NED but they don't know what to do to insure I stay that way. I just had 2nd mast. 27/28 positive. But no solid tumor to treat. Chemo's only work on solid tumors. But very triple neg. person could have diff. diease I pray first line treatment will work for you.

cmb35

Inna - yes HER2 neg is good in that the HER2+ tumors are aggressive, but Herceptin is very effective in treating HER2 + tumors (just as hormone therapy is very effective in treating Er/Pr+ breast cancers.) The bottom line with triple neg is that they don't know what "feeds it" so they don't have a targeted drug to treat it. Basically, triple neg isn't so much an identified type of bc, it just that it's NOT any of the 3 (more common) types they have identified - does that make sense?

The good news for us is that although chemo is our only line of defense (drug-wise), it appears to be more effective on triple neg cancers.

FloridaLady

I would like to know where is the study that shows Her2 is harder to tx. After 3 cancer center (2 top 10) I have been told numerous time triple neg is the hardest to treat. And has the most deaths. Yes Her2 is aggressive but the but the medical industries have a lot chemo and other drugs out. Plus the vaccine in Phase III trials has a 85% response rate. I have been told that there is nothing available to me not just in then US but world wide because I only have (had?) local recurrence 3 times.

jeffntate

What vaccine?

FloridaLady

Look under clinicaltrials.org search vaccines. Just one of the vaccines is called E75.

Cyl

I'd always been told that the Triple negative people are the hardest to treat. I was taking some soy products for awhile before my doctor told me to stop as it tended to "feed" the type of cancer I had. So, now, I'm pretty cautious on anything with soy. Has anyone else's doctor told you to keep soy intake down?

twink

I've read a few articles about soy but none of the docs involved in my care warned me to not eat it. There's actually a good article here: http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/everyone/question/soy.jsp which says "The estrogen-like substances (isoflavones) in soy may stimulate the estrogen receptors of breast cancer cells and make them grow. It's this potential danger that makes many doctors warn their breast cancer patients against eating soy products." With an ER- cancer, I don't think this is relevant anyway unless you're concerned about the possibilty of a new ER+ BC.

Indigoblue

All I know is what I don't know, which is; soy what? I live in soy bean country, and it's used in an enormous variety of products. The farmers used to grow grapes, cherries, veggies, etc., soy is the "thing" now. Pesticides...lots of them keep it pretty and green. Estrogen, well, overproduction, nonexistant, it's confusing.

Never took HRT or the Pill, estrogen fear; b.c. in the family. Then, reading about asian women, lower risk because of the soy...then again, less red meat, and it all gets so complicated in the hereditary disease dept.

Finally, I'm told by numerous sources that one woman can aquire triple negative tumors, estrogen positives, her2's, and sometimes 7 or more types of cancer in one breast!

A few years after being treated for hormone negative, one can have hormone positive, or visa versa. Soy...
Personally, soy milk is yucky, and the bean paste is rather mushy and bland. I was relieved to be told I didn't need to worry about the soy...one way or the other.

I think it has more to do with genetics and lifestyle; even then, the scientists don't know; the mystery factor continues to employ their brilliant minds as they search for a cure...

Meanwhile, Hercepton is supposed to be showing amazing progress; Is it a good thing? I don't know, as I am triple negativity, especially today, there's nothing good about breast cancer no matter which way I view the "kancer kalediascope" filled with data, everchanging dimensions, and the questionable and unquestionable light of physics translated into medical muck.

Good luck, hope you are well.

Be well,

Indi