Herceptin and HER +

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Maelene
Maelene Member Posts: 1
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer

I had breast cancer in the left breast and had it removed.  Afterwards the tests came back that I am HER2+ with reading just about off the chart.  I went through Chemo for 6 months.  I was suppose to have Herceptin for a year however I also have COPD and they had to stop Herceptin after only 5 months.  I have had 2 sisters die from breast cancer.  Does anyone know if Herceptin is effective after only 5 months of treatment?

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  • IsThisForReal
    IsThisForReal Member Posts: 384
    edited November 2012

    I"m not sure, but here's a 'bump' for you.  I'm sure someone on the boards will be able to help you with that question.

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  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 3,345
    edited November 2012

    Hey check out the thread herceptin heart attack. You'll find others there who had to stop herceptin due to heart issues. I am one of them, but I was able to resume and finish the year. Any amount of herceptin is beneficial, they don't really know how much is the optimal amount. At least that is my understanding, but post your question on the threading mentioned, there are more knowledgable ladies than me there who will give you some good info.

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  • Omaz
    Omaz Member Posts: 5,497
    edited November 2012

    In the FINHER trial they gave 9 weeks of herceptin with chemo (docetaxel or vinorelbine, followed by three cycles of FEC) and they found:

    "Within the subgroup of patients who had HER2/neu-positive cancer, those who received trastuzumab had better three-year recurrence-free survival than those who did not receive the antibody (89 percent vs. 78 percent; hazard ratio for recurrence or death, 0.42; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.21 to 0.83; P=0.01)."

    So even 9 weeks provided an advantage in this study.

    http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa053028

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited November 2012

    Hi - I had to stop Herceptin after only 3 months.  Got sent to a cardiologist immediately as my EF dropped from 65 to 39.  Cardiologist put me on heart meds immediately, but EF has not gotten better after 5 months.  Oncologist stopped any hope of Herceptin. I was terrified.

    My Oncologist has a world-wide reputation esp in the area of Herceptin. He's brilliant and respected.  He sat me down, took my hand and said, "I don't want you to lose one minute of sleep over only having 3 months of Herceptin."  Then he told me about FINHER and some other things he knows.   So I quit being terrified about it.  What else can I do?

         

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  • Ossa
    Ossa Member Posts: 919
    edited November 2012

    Had to stop H after 13  of 17 Treatment.. Mo said the first 4 that you get with taxol are the most important..... Hope so

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