new and confused

ga_peach

My dx is - estrogen, - progesterone, +her2

I thought at 1st that negative is a good thing right?  But the more I read it doesnt seem that way.  I am so confussed, does anyone else have this dx?

 

mcgis

Hi ga peach! I'm sorry you are having to join this group. I hope for the best for you. I'm terrible about figuring all that stuff out. I have to remind myself the next time I have my appt. with my oncologist to get my exact type of cancer. Everything was so overwhelming that all I heard was BC. Someone will for sure have answers for you!

dlb823

ga_peach ~ I don't have your diagnosis, but I have seen quite a few women here on BCO who do. So I'm stopping just to bump your thread for you so that hopefully more people will see it.

What I can tell you, assuming your stats are accurate (ER- PR- Her2+), is that you may be offered Herceptin, a drug often given to women with Her2+ bc. Because Herceptin is relatively "new," (since 1998, I believe... so less than 20 years) any information showing less than favorable outcomes for Her2+ is likely outdated because Herceptin has made a huge difference in how Her2+ bc is treated, and research stats including women treated pre-1998 will no longer be accurate.

As far as the ER-PR-, that means that Tamoxifen or an Aromatese Inhibitor, the drugs they normally offer for 5 years after your active treatment, will not be helpful to you. And since many women don't like taking Tamoxifen or an Aromatese Inhibitor, it might be looked at as a blessing, but may also mean your medical team will be aggressive with the things that they know will work for you.

Hope this helps. For now, the best thing you can do is focus on putting together a medical team in which you have complete trust. That means doctors who have seen and successfully treated many bc patients with your stats and can offer you a lot of hope and encouragement. (((Hugs))) Deanna