Herceptin question

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katie2279
katie2279 Member Posts: 21
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer

My mom was told today that she will start herceptin on Monday along with her chemo cisplatin and taxatore.

(She is her2+ er/pr-) Stage IV mets to liver lungs and spine.

She also just found out today that the lung biospy she had done of a mass they were hoping was pnuemonia is cancer.

 The doctor said some of the side effects of herceptin is shortness of breath and heart damage.  Well she already has really bad shortness of breath and is on o2 and has a very dry cough.  She also had a chest tube put in last week to drain fluid from around her heart.

 So I am very concerned that they want to use this drug.  From everyones experiance here do you think it is the right thing?  Do you think it would cause even more problems?

Thanks for any advice.

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  • orange1
    orange1 Member Posts: 930
    edited August 2009

    Hi Katie.  I'm sorry your family has to go through this ordeal.

    The vast majority of women tolerate herceptin very well.  The most common complaint is a chronically runny nose.  You may see posts where women have other issues with herceptin, but you have to keep in mind that this is not a representative sample of the side effects.  Women who do well on herceptin often don't bother to write posts about their experience because its non-news.  Kind of like writing an email and saying you didn't get a flat tire today - it just generally doesn't happen.  She may get some of the side effects her onc mentioned, but most do not.  Doctors have an obligation to warn patients of side effects, so they do, but that doesn't mean your mom will experience them. 

    Herceptin is often very effective at controlling Her2+ cancer; many docs think it is most effective part of treatment for Her2+ cancer.  I encourage your mom to try it and see how she tolerates it.  She can always stop treatment at any time.  The doctor should be monitoring her heart function periodically to make sure it doesn't weaken.  In the rare case of heart damage from herceptin, it is usually caused by giving herceptin together with a drug called adriamycin that also can cause heart damage.  Your mom's doc is recommending a combination (taxotere and cispatin) that typically does not cause heart damage.

    Best wishes for your family. 

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  • LittleFlower
    LittleFlower Member Posts: 405
    edited August 2009

    I'm so sorry for all this bad news!  Truly Herceptin is an amazing drug for Her2+ cancer.  I knew that there were these side effects, but i never experienced any of them.  In fact, it doesn't seem as though many women on the boards ever had to stop the drug because of these side effects.  As far as heart function goes, MUGA scans should be done to monitor for any heart damage.  I'm sorry i don't know anything about the other meds your mom is on, but look to herceptin to be a very GREAT addition.  It's specific for those cancer cells and it's gonna knock em out!  Good luck to you and your mom and you make it through this difficult time (HUGS)

    LittleFlower

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