Anyone had harmful side effects from HER2 treatment protocols?

newlifeat59, these are good questions and you will want to discuss your treatment options with your oncologist. I was stage 1a with a tumor size of 5mm, which is sort of on the bubble for treatment with Herceptin or not. Recent research indicates a pretty high risk of recurrence for HER2+ even with very small early stage tumors. My onc showed me statistics indicating a 25% chance of recurrence without further treatment, which was too high for me, so I opted for Herceptin. Most oncs will not give Herceptin without chemo. I had weekly taxol and Herceptin for 12 treatments, which I pretty much sailed through. I did use cold caps to save my hair and they worked perfectly. I just finished radiation which is standard for lumpectomy, and the statistics back up the effectiveness. I pretty much sailed through that too. I will continue Herceptin every 3 weeks until September. For me, the more I've read since starting all this, the happier I am that I opted in for chemo and Herceptin. I was 60 at diagnosis. of course there are risks for the treatments, but I think the 25% risk of recurrence of breast cancer is far worse than the smaller risks of chemo and radiation. it's a tough decision to make, but you have some time to talk to your oncologist and do some research on your own if you're so inclined.

Deris, I'm happy to be of some help, and happy to answer any questions too, if I can. Have you told your kids yet? I'm sure they will want to know what's going on.

New life, it is overwhelming I know. When you have. Lumpectomy, as mentioned, almost always comes with radiation.



Based on the studies so far, it appears Herceptin works best when given with some chemo. I had the same protocol that Patin had, and got through it very well.



SeaGreen, most times you are on your own figuring out the cold cap thing. And, they are usually not covered by insurance. They aren't cheap. I didn't do it the first time, but I might consider it if I have a recurrence. On the heart side, it is a possibility, but doesn't happen too often.



Please join the triple positive thread. There is a lot of Information there and great women.

newlife....I finished my year of herceptin in Dec 2011.  My MO delayed the start of it because my ejection fraction had dropped  after my rounds of A/C chemo.  We finally got started on it a month later than originally planned.  I did have some further lowering of my EF...got down to a 42.  I told her I wanted to finish the course.  She did send me to a cardiologist......I was not happy about that..  I was taking a beta blocker and an ace inhibitor (for BP).   Last year I started walking....was very faithful doing it the first half of the year...then got busy and slacked off.  At my 6 month check up in Dec last year, they did an echocardiogram and my numbers were back up between 50 and 60 and  the doctor took me off the beta blocker. 

I think for most of us the benefits of herceptin outweigh the risks....but just be careful...be sure to let your doctors know if you experience any chest pain or shortness of breath.  As the others have said they will be monitoring your heart function with regular muga scans.   Wishing you the best with your treatment and sending you a hug.  It is just all so overwhelming at times!