Her2+++ and DCIS

Hi there Boscoe !

Actually, the stats show that most DCIS is Her 2+++.   However, when it is diagnosed as DCIS, a lot of pathologists do not send it out for marker testing because usually it does not affect the post treatment plan.

I know this because my IDC tumor was very small relative to the DCIS and I made them review the pathology to make sure they read the right portion for ER/PR and Her2 markers (unfortunately, they did).   However, my onc. also said this was smart to do because most DCIS tumors are Her2+++ (something I later looked up to confirm), but that it does not matter it was because DCIS is not "traveling".  

That said, I think I read somewhere on this board that there is a clinical trial going on somewhere in regard to DCIS and herceptin.   You might also want to check out http://www.her2support.org/ in regard to this clinical.  I find that site to be very up to speed on clinicals going on with Herceptin.

Good luck !

Jill

Hi, Again !

This is what I found on the Dr. Susan Love site... It is one of my favorites because a) it uses real clinical studies to back up their advice, and b) it is really easy to understand.

First, here is the question from which I got my info. Second, I will post the link that takes you to this site and that page.

My tumor tested positive for HER2. Does that mean my chance of recurrence is much greater?

Not necessarily. While it's true that some early studies found that women with HER2-positive tumors had a higher rate of recurrence, other studies haven't found that to be the case. The reason for the discrepancy seems to be that HER2 alone doesn't mean much. We have to consider a lot of other factors as well.

First, HER2 is still an enigma. It is present in most ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a precancerous breast disease, but is present in only about 25 percent of all invasive breast cancers. Since DCIS usually doesn't progress to invasive cancer, HER2 may be telling the cells to grow, but not necessarily to invade other tissues-a condition for malignancy. This may mean that HER2 needs other factors to become malignant.

Second, HER2 probably doesn't act alone. Like most cellular criminals, it does the most damage in collusion with other molecular bad guys. Some studies have found that HER2 may not cause much trouble unless other proteins such as epidermal growth factor receptor are also present.

Third, the likelihood of recurrence depends on the type of treatment. Overall, the studies suggest that HER2 signals a worse prognosis primarily in women who have node-positive disease. Studies also suggest that women whose tumors are HER2-positive may do better when chemotherapy includes doxorubicin (brand name Adriamycin). The significance of HER2 in women who have node-negative disease isn't as clear because fewer have HER2-positive tumors.

Here is the link where you can find this:

http://www.dslrf.org/breastcancer/content.asp?CATID=20&L2=3&L3=7&L4=0&PID=&sid=132&cid=582

I also hope you can explore this site.  It is a really good one.  Please let me know if this helped you or not.

Jill

Boscoe -

Glad to help.  Hope you are doing better tonight.

Jill