Stage 1 IDC herceptin without chemo

I do know some who are stage 1 HR+ using trastuzumab and hormonal treatment, and several years out, although there is no formal trial tracking them to document their success, and some chose that path during the time that recommendations were less set in concrete, denying any significant evidence one way or another for this group.

My point in my previous post is that it still might be necessary for some to add in some form of ovarian ablation, whether temporary or permanent, to prevent or delay recurrence. Discussion of that issue often gets shunted aside but it needs to be considered. For example, if it is pretty clear that one is already menopausal, the quantity of risk may differ, but without understanding the issue, one has a harder time sorting it out based on one's own circumstances.

 To continue to discuss the choices as if they are limited for HR+ patients to doing chemo or not doing chemo, with trastuzumab used alone, is a way to bury the choice of adding OA through other means to the use of trastuzumab.

Trials haven't been offered to very early stage HR+ HER2 positive patients to know whether there are additional benefits obtained by use of adding chemothearpy instead. We don't know how much benefit would be obtained by supporting an intact immune system instead of chemotherapy. I don't encourage taking more risk. But I do encourage clearer discussion about the basis and full range of choices.