HER 2 positive

Laratee

I guess I am HER2 positive. Scared to look it up. When I first saw the oncologist he said if I was HER2 it was just a different chemo, for longer I think. I need encouragement. I see him again tomorrow. Is it really bad to be HER2 pos???

lobularvictim

I was HER2 also. In a way it is good because I believe it means that the cancer is estrogen fed. Estrogen can be controlled. I had lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and now on estrogen blocker medication. If your cancer is tubular, rather than ductal, it is a little rarer.... I would not be afraid to look up things. My surgeon recommended the Breast Cancer book, but I barely glanced at it. Don't read depressing stories of terminal patients....Mine was stage 2A and I know lots of people that have made it through and gone years cancer free. Good luck!

Beatmon

Her2 is not related to estrogen status. Don't be afraid to look it up on this site.

Her2 breast cancers have been treatable since Herceptin was on the market. And now Herceptin is given with Perjeta for Stage 4. Many Her2 cancers have been stopped in their aggressiveness since Herceptin.

debiann

Good and bad. It is a more aggressive form of breast cancer. That's the bad. BUT it tends to responds better to chemo than slower growing cancers AND there are effective targeted treatments that are highly effective. In addition to chemo, you will likely get a drug called Herceptin for a year and possibly Perjeta too. I have seen some women report that their MO's hope that the cancer is HER2+ because of the treatments now available.

Don't google, it will give you a lot of outdated statics that aren't relevant to you.

If you are also ER+ then that means the cancer is fueled by estrogen and there will be treatments to deal with that too.

For those who are triple negative, treatment options are limited to surgery, radiation and chemo.

Understand that surgery and radiation are localized treatments, to remove or kill the cancer cells in the breast or lymph nodes only.

Chemo, Herceptin, Perjeta, and the anti-estrogen drugs are systemic treatments given in hopes of killing off any undetectable cancer cells that have moved out of the breast and into other organs.

Good luck to you. Its scary now, but things will get better after you have a treatment plan in place.

Bnsfdba090559

Hi All,

I was diagnosed with IDC, HER2, 3+, in April of this year. My estrogen and progesterone were both negative and my K167 is high at 40%. My tumor is 4 cm and my Stage is IIA.

During my port implant two weeks ago, my surgeon attempted a sentinel node biopsy, but could not locate any lymph nodes, so these will be looked at when I have my surgery after my 6 chemo sessions. My first chemo session was last week and consisted of Herceptin, Perjeta, Carboplatin, Taxotere. Apparently, I will have a lumpectomy and radiation after all of this. I did not know until reading these other posts that I will probably have to continue with Herceptin and others drugs, as well.

What's a bummer is that I was also diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2007; God must think I am strong enough to handle both.

Lobular Victim, I, too, am from Wisconsin (Madison area). Nice to meet you :-)