Chemotherapy drugs for HER2+ tumors: Taxol + Heceptin or TCH?

Summerwheat

Hello,

I was diagnosed with DCIS, part of which after mastectomy turned out to be IDC (0.7 cm).  It is HER2+, and ER+ (2+, 3%) and PR+ (1+, 20%), i.e. the ER+ and PR+ are rather weak. My MO recommended the "standard of care", which is TCH 6 times, every 3 weeks, followed by Herceptin for a year. A professor at Stanford in his second opinion, however, suggested that weekly Taxol and Herceptin for 12 weeks, followed by Herceptin for a year would be sufficient, based on a new study that was presented at the recent Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio. My MO says she cannot recommend that, as the study was done with strongly PR+ and ER+ breast cancers, and mine is not, so she suggests the TCH to minimize the risk of recurrence. I am not sure what to do at this point and have been mulling it over for a few days. I was trying to get hold of the study to see whether it includes the PR and ER status of the 406 women covered by the study, but I was not able to locate it. Do you have a copy or a link for the study (not articles related to it). I might ask the MO otherwise.

If you have a fairly similar profile, what treatment did your MO suggest? Man, you have two doctors, two opinions I guess, and the decision lies with the patient, that's what I like most about this whole sucky BC adventure. Thanks in advance for any input you can give.

Alexandra