everyone Her2 poss. hormonal neg.

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IowaSue45
IowaSue45 Member Posts: 586
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer

I am curious what percentage of her2 poss. is just her2, I have noticed that a lot of ladies also have a hormonal status. Is it worse to be her2poss. and no hormonal status. All input welcome.

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  • jdootoo
    jdootoo Member Posts: 253
    edited October 2010

    IowaSue: Keep reminding yourself that HER2+ is a great thing because we have Herceptin. It hasn't always been that way! Sending giant hugs...

    One love, Jackie 

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  • fightinhrd123
    fightinhrd123 Member Posts: 633
    edited October 2010

    I am just HER2, I think it has pros and cons, im just too tired to think and type them out right now.  I will try tomorrow :)

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  • KitCat1
    KitCat1 Member Posts: 53
    edited October 2010

    Hi Iowas Sue,

    Since Herecepton everything has changed. Being ER-, and Pr-, means that those types of hormones don't feed from our cancer so we would not benefit from taking hormone blockers. But we have Hercepton to block the Her2. Which makes a huge difference! It makes me feel better to look at it as a plus... we don't need to take hormonial drugs... that's my  theory and I'm sticking to it! My onc agrees!

    Cathy xo

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  • IowaSue45
    IowaSue45 Member Posts: 586
    edited October 2010

    Thanks ladies!!! Do you know if the statistics 25 %  of BC are her2neu include the ones with hormone receptors? I am just really trying to learn all I can about what I have and connect with others with the same BC.

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  • lovemygarden
    lovemygarden Member Posts: 342
    edited October 2010

    As I understand it, the 25% stat only refers to HER2 and doesn't take hormonal status into account. I don't know if any studies have further broken down the 25% into categories based on ER and PR status.

    I too look at my ER/PR neg status as a plus: Fewer meds to get, and a shorter time on the one (H) that I do get (because don't the hormone-positive ladies have to be on something for multiple years?).  

    As someone who hates to take any med at all, even an OTC one, that means a lot to me!

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  • TMarina
    TMarina Member Posts: 692
    edited October 2010

    HI!  Just wanted to jump in here and agree with some of the others.  I'm glad I'm not triple negative.  Having at least one "receptor" is a good thing, because then I have something to help fight the cancer.  But I'm glad I'm not hormone pos., because Tamoxifen and some of the other drugs have a lot of se's and I'd have to be on them 5 years!

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  • Birds
    Birds Member Posts: 67
    edited October 2010

    I am her2+ er- pr-.  Herceptin to the rescue!  Laughing

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited October 2010

    I don't think Herceptin has been around long enough to really know if hormone status means anything (if you are being treated with Herceptin and respond).

    The stats are old and probably say that negative hormonal status is a little less desirable. But as I mention that was pre-Herceptin. Who knows if it means anything now.

    I was always under the impression that hormone + with HER2+ was not as common.

    (Hope you don't mind me crashing the -hormonal party).

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  • imatthew
    imatthew Member Posts: 206
    edited October 2010

    My wife is ER-/PR-/HER2+++, she had a mastectomy/DIEP on Friday, we meet with her oncologist on 11/3

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  • TammyLou
    TammyLou Member Posts: 740
    edited October 2010

    In my opinion, the negativity associated with ER neg is that the cancers tend to be aggressive and therefore, require more aggressive treatments.

    More aggressive treatments = more risks, both short term and long term.

    In the pool of people with metastatic cancer, people with ER+ tumors tend to have longer lives, largely because the less toxic hormonals can be used to curb the cancer growth.

    The positive aspect of ER neg is that IF we can knock it out (with chemo and rads), you / me /we are more likely to experience (dare I say) cure.

    So, if you looked at recurrance as a bell curve, the negs are high risk  in the timeframe immediately following treatment while the ER+ have some "protection"...in the far out years, they tend to catch up with us.

    So, (I'm going to be killed for this!) as an ER neg, we gotta' keep our candles burning during the first 18 months after completing treatment. 

    We're never "home free"...but, it's very good for our prognosis to make the first 2 years.

    In my mind, there is no doubt that Herceptin has prolonged the survival and reduced the risk of recurrance for HER+ cancers. 

    We've gone from hopeless to hopeful.

    The trial drug doctor at MD Anderson, "We are bringing hope to the hopeless."

    Herceptin has so dramatically changed outcomes that we DON'T KNOW what the (long term) data is going to be....cuz' we're off the charts.

     tl....not dead yet.

    Diagnosed January 2005, Stage 3C at age 40...and no, I never thought I'd see 41.

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  • KristyAnn
    KristyAnn Member Posts: 793
    edited October 2010

    I was highly HER 2++ and am 1% ER positive and PR negative - my doc opted to go ahead with femara because I was in my 40s when diagnosed and she tends to be aggressive in treatments- but Herceptin was definitelythe first choice option for my case.

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  • IowaSue45
    IowaSue45 Member Posts: 586
    edited October 2010

    Thanks for the info Tammy Lou, you put it into words what I was trying to piece together, Thanks!

    Imathew I wish you and your wife the best with everything your going through, positive thoughts!!

    Thanks to everyone for the responses it helps sharing info with other with the same type of breast cancer.

    I had treatment # 4 yesterday TCH now I am not looking forward to the 3-4 days of fatigue.

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  • AngieC
    AngieC Member Posts: 5
    edited October 2010

    I am HER 2 + and ER-/PR-.  I discussed this with my oncologist and in some ways it is better to be ER + because there is an additional medication you can take to treat breast cancer.  However,  in some ways it is better to be ER- because when you are ER- you respond better to chemo.  I had chemo before I had surgery.  Before surgery I had one lymph node positive for cancer.  After chemo, all of my lymph nodes came back negative for cancer, and there was no tumor remaining in breast so I had what is called a complete pathologic response.  Herceptin is a wonderful drug so I felt fortunate to be HER 2 + because there is a medication to treat this type of cancer.

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  • IowaSue45
    IowaSue45 Member Posts: 586
    edited August 2013

    Hello, I have a question.Last week I felt a lump very near where the other 3 tumors were. I wasn't to see the onc til Fri. so I went to family Dr. and she felt it and sent me for a ultra sound and it showed nothing. I did have onc. check it out yesterday and she said I need to have the surgeon check it out. I am going to wait til the last chemo Dec. 2nd to see him because he is an hour and a half away. I guess after I had the ultra sound results I wasn't worried but after seeing the onc. she seamed a little concerned. Do you even think it is possible for a tumor to start while your having treatment? That doesn't seam possible. But when you think about it why is it more likely to show up in the first 2-3 years after treatment then later down the road. Don't you think that should be the other way around, like you should be more protected in the 1st few years after tx? Idk seams strange to me and hopefully if it nothing. It sure does scare you to feel something else.Just looking for some imput, Thxs

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