NEW Guidelines!: HER2 equiv ppl might actually be POSITIVE

AlishaCatherine · November 2013

This new guideline affected my mother and she is now receiving Herceptin treatment. The former guidelines were so you were considering HER2+ if you have a FISH ratio score of 2.2 or higher.

That has been lowered to 2.0! This just happened on Oct 7 because of a clinical guidelines update.

If this affects you, talk to your oncologist. I am so happy I did the research and my mom went in to discuss. She went from TNBC to now qualifying for targeted Herceptin treatment.

peacestrength · November 2013

Alisha - thanks for this info. Can you provide the guideline website or link?

AlishaCatherine · November 2013

I don't have a link because it's from an article that you need a username and pw for. Here is an image I took a screen shot of. You an see the full name of the new recommendation at the bottom. The majority of the findings discuss HER2 testing BUT it also (rather sneakily) lowers the threshold. See below.

AlishaCatherine · November 2013

And again, when we brought this to the oncologist, she wasn't even aware of the new guidelines until she went and looked it up. Insurance companies are already aware though. She had no problem getting it covered. I still am shocked about how this discovery on my end could end up saving my mom's life.

Alisha

AlishaCatherine · November 2013

I downloaded the full reccomendation into a pdf. I can share this through email with interested people.

Mercy5nj · November 2013

Hello Alisha:

Like your mom I maybe also on the board-line. I just was diagnosed in Sept of this year.

May God Bless your mom!

Thanks,

Mercy.

SpecialK · November 2013

mercy - you might want to PM the OP your email address, and then delete it from your post - you should not post personal info on these threads, they are open to the public on the internet.

Mercy5nj · November 2013

thank you specialK new at this.

SpecialK · November 2013

mercy - no problem - just didn't want you getting a bunch of wackadoodle emails from all the nutty people on the internet! That would not be what you need, lol!

AlishaCatherine · November 2013

I am happy to email it to you, Mercy! Just private message me for it.

If you are not a 2.0 but equivocal, there is a phase 3 trial going on right now for herceptin you could qualify for as well. Worth looking into.

JennaJMU · November 2013

I'm in the Herceptin trial for Her2 low patients. I think my FISH was 1.6 or 1.8 but I scored 2+ on the IHC test. I hope this guideline change means the study is showing positive results!!

AlishaCatherine · November 2013

Jenna, that's great you are in the trial! There is also some evidence that suggests Herceptin can help all breast cancer regardless of HER2 status as it's believed it can go after the cancer stem cells.

Also, we are from Philly so hi to a fellow PA-er

NEW Guidelines!: HER2 equiv ppl might actually be POSITIVE

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