Herceptin before surgery

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ejlj
ejlj Member Posts: 211
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer

I was dx with HER 2 neu +  breast ca in april 08 at age 36.  I chose to start treatment immediately with Herceptin/Taxol and had pretty good results with the shrinking my tumor and decreasing the number of lymphnodes that were positive, though we'll never know the real numbers.   Has anyone else gone this route?  I'd love to know whether you beleived it helped or not, and how your doing today?  Thanks.

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  • Seven11
    Seven11 Member Posts: 162
    edited October 2010

    I am about to do my last TCH, then will have the surgery in January.  The tumor is definitely smaller and the doc believes she can get clear margins. 

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  • TammyLou
    TammyLou Member Posts: 740
    edited December 2008

    Yup.  At diagnosis (January 2005), cancer was wrapped around my chest wall.  Fixed, matted lymph nodes adhered to each other and to my chest wall.

    Inoperable.

    After neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (4 Rounds Taxotere, 4 Rounds FEC with concurrent Herceptin), mastectomies with axillary dissection...no evidence of disease.

    So far, so good.

    Tammy Lou

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  • ejlj
    ejlj Member Posts: 211
    edited December 2008

    KLFH,  Thanks for the response.  I could tell that my tumor was smaller at the time of surgery as well.  I'm not sure if you experienced this or not, but I could actually feel it getting smaller after 1 dose of Herceptin.  I kept getting shooting type pains through that area in my breast and after about 3 days there was a noticable difference in the way it felt.  What is your tx plan?  I had Taxol/Herceptin 1x/wk x 12doses, surgery, AC every 2 wks x 4 doses, radiation x 27 doses (I just finished yesterdayLaughing)  and started back on Herceptin 2 weeks after my last dose of AC.

    TammyLou-You gave goosebumps!  Did you get Herceptin again after surgery? or any other chemo/radiation treatment?

    Thanks

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  • susiered
    susiered Member Posts: 256
    edited December 2008

    Hi ladies, I was diagnosed in may of 08 with her 2 pos breast cancer. My tumor was 5cm with what they thought was 3 pos. lymph nodes. I was started immediatly on carboplatin, taxotere, and herceptin. I had six rounds and then on Nov. 13 had bi lat mast. They removed a 2 cm tumor and still had 2 pos. lymph nodes. But it did do what it was suppossed to do, it shrunk it and hopefully stopped it from going anywhere else. I see a lot of women that have a complete response with chemo before surgery. Wish I coul have been 1 of those, but was not. Started herceptin back last week and will do rads next week. Good luck to you all ! 

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  • Seven11
    Seven11 Member Posts: 162
    edited October 2010

    ejlj - sorry for the delayed response.  I had 6 lymph nodes removed in August and 1 was positive.  I started TCH (taxotere, carboplatin, hercerptin) in September and had my last one 12/24.  I will have a mastectomy 1/21. then some time to recover, then rads.  I don't know the details on rads. 

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  • TammyLou
    TammyLou Member Posts: 740
    edited December 2008

    Oh, yeah, baby!

    I had a total of 52 weeks of Herceptin.  Radiation in 6 fields (front and back) and two sets of boosts until I could hardly stand up.

    And, it took some TIME to recover.

    However, I am not dead yet.

    :)

    Tammy Lou

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  • kimbly
    kimbly Member Posts: 398
    edited December 2008

    I also did chemo/herceptin to shrink tumor with positive results.  Shrunk my tumour to nothing.. could not be found on a u/s or mammo later.  I did a left side mastectomy in April ( finished 6x TCH in March) and no evidence of disease .. no nodes involved... I did have a MRI pre chemo and surgery that showed nothing in the nodes then either..

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