Trying to decide on chemo and herceptin HELP (HER2neu 80%+)

If you are HER2 + you really need Herceptin. HER2+ is more aggressive. And to get Herceptin, you need chemo as Herceptin is not given alone... And if you are ER+ you need Tamoxifen. So... I agree that you should do the chemo and Herceptin and Tamoxifen. I am not Her2+, but did do chemo and am on Tamoxifen.

Before Herceptin came along women with Her2+ cancer were pretty much told that the doctors would give chemo a try but even with it the odds for long survival, or even survival 2 years past diagnosis, was 50/50. Yes, even with chemo!



Now we have Herceptin and it is usually referred to as a "game changer". Search has shown however that it gives the best result when given with chemo.



My advice would be to not mess around and to do the chemo and Herceptin. Only thing is that after a whole lot of personal research (and cancer research is what I do for a job) I opted not for the more common Taxotere but asked for Taxol instead as it has different side-effects. Ask your oncologist if you could have a choice and to explain the different side-effects to you (with Taxotere the is a small but very real possibility of your hair never coming back but drs rarely mention that one).



Good luck and I'm so sorry you have to join us. Pop over to the Triple Positive thread if you haven't already :-)



Jenn

Pietra - I was dx 2A (no nodes; two tumors: 2.2 cm and 7 mm) and did 6 x Taxol/Carboplatin/Herceptin then finished the year of Herceptin every 3 weeks. Everybody reacts differently, of course, but I did fine - had chemo on Tuesday and was back at work on Monday. Continued to exercise and travel throughout treatment, and although I was feeling the effects of anemia towards the end, my red blood counts built up rapidly after chemo without a transfusion or any drugs. 

The TCH thread was my favorite hang-out then - great to have women to talk to who are going through the same thing you are. Wishing you all the best - you can do this!

Chemo is nowhere near as awful as you might be imagining it to be.  Don't get me wrong, it is no picnic but it is certainly doable.  I had the idea that I was going to be sick and feel awful all the time while undergoing chemo.  It didn't happen.  I didn't feel too great for 3 or 4 days after each treatment, but never once threw up during all of my treatments.  I felt weak especially around day 5 or so.  Week two of each cycle I felt pretty good most of the time and then week three I felt perfectly fine.  I still went shopping, out to dinner, etc.  I was not bed-ridden and sick the whole time like I thought I would be when I was first told I had to have chemo.

You'll do fine.  Good luck to you!

Hi,

I have just registered and would desperately appreciate advice on a decision I am trying to make.

I am being treated for invasive ducal carcinoma with chemo and herceptin. I have taken four courses of chemo and twelve shots of herceptin.

I honestly feel my body cannot take anymore chemo! Though from all my research, it seems herceptin is giving me more problems. Skin rash, my skin being flaky and dry. It is also painful to touch. My nails have changed colors looking like fungal infection . I have had three rashes on my thigh, while two have healed the other which is rubbing against my other thing has refused to heal. My last Echocardiography showed that the left systolic function with ejection fraction is 80.7 as against 81% in December before I started chemo. There is also left ventricular diastolic dysfunction grade1. There is trivial aortic regurgitation with peak AR velocity of 88.7 cm/sec. I have constant and persistent headaches, my muscle are week, am not feeding well neither am I sleeping well.

I feel since I have taken four courses of chemo, I can stop now and continue with a monthly shout of herceptin .

My Oncologist would prefer I complete a six course of chemo.

Thank

Any words of wisdom preferably medical in its content

Just wanted to stop by and give a little success story for you ladies just starting.  I am triple positive and was dx'd as stage IV from the beginning with lung mets.  I did TCH X6 and finished 3/22/12.  My scans in 7/12 showed the mets were completely gone!  I have been NED since then.  I am on Herceptin indefinitely and Tamoxifen.  Aside from the hot flashes and some weight gain (no doubt from the chemopause also) I feel great!  My MO refers to my Her2+ stage IV as a "chronic illness".  Good luck, chemo is not fun but it is doable and not nearly as bad as you think it will be.  But even if you are one of the unlucky ones who gets all the SE's I wanted you to know it will be worth it!

I also wanted to add my encouragement to those of you just starting out.

I did FEC for three cycles and was supposed to do Taxotere for three cycles, but had very severe se's from it, so only did two.  I completed my twelve months of Herceptin twelve months ago, and I found the Herceptin to be relatively easy.  It's a piece of cake compared to chemo, but I did have a few issues, and those issues were towards the end of the treatment.  Mainly tiredness and diahoera and not extreme.

My heart function dropped from 65 to 60, it's if it gets under 50 (I think) that they will consider pulling you off Herceptin.

Twelve months out from Herceptin and I feel great!  Life is pretty much back to normal, with the odd worry now and then when I get a new ache or pain.  There is life after bc, although when you are going through tx it seems like it will never end.

Sending you all big gentle (((((hugs)))))

Trish