How aggressive is HER2+ (Positive)

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited March 2017

    Roses13-

    We want to welcome you to the community, although we're sorry for the circumstances that have brought you here. Is there a specific treatment you're asking about, or just whether or not people have decided to forgo treatment completely?

    The Mods

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited March 2017

    Roses - you didn't specify your diagnosis and treatment options - grade, hormone positive, Etc. Also you didn't mention if you have other health issues. But yes - unless I were confined to a wheel chair or had heart failure or maybe blind & ready to die, I would do treatment again in a heartbeat. I'm not that much younger than you are. Her2+ is a nasty aggressive beast and it's so fortunate that we have some treatments to make headway against it now.

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  • Leslie2016
    Leslie2016 Member Posts: 316
    edited March 2017

    Roses, welcome to the forums. I've found this to be a great place to ask questions and understand more about what is happening. I hope you find the same.

    I was on track to "just" do lumpectomy and radiation. I was happy with that. However, my BS never found my pathology, so we didn't know I was triple positive when she was telling me that was what I needed. I was/am triple positive. ER/PR/HER-2 Positive. So, the MO said I needed to add chemo and herceptin in there. The way she explained the HER-2 positive to me and the need for herceptin was that before herceptin was found, women who were positive had very bad outcomes. Most would not make it because it made things so aggressive. With herceptin, most have very good outcomes. So, it was a no brainer for me that I needed to do it if I wanted to be here to see my kids start their adult lives and meet my (possible) grand children in the future. I am almost done the full gambit....lumpectomy, chemo, herceptin, radiation, and I will take tamoxifen. The MO has told me my prognosis is now excellent, and my chances of a re-occurance are very, very low.

    I don't know which treatments you are thinking of passing on, but in my opinion if you are HER-2 positive, I would definitely think long and hard before saying no to herceptin. It truly is a wonder drug and to my understanding the only thing that can shut down the HER-2 for you. Good luck whatever you decide.

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  • Roses13
    Roses13 Member Posts: 3
    edited March 2017

    Thank you for your reply. I am waiting to get one more Fish report.. My oncologist felt that because of my age [75[

    and that there is an 85 percent chance I will be here in 5 or more years and a 88 percent chance with treatment

    He said maybe 3 percent is so small to take a chance. There are side effects for hERCETIN [BRAIN TUMOR]?

    I just do not know what to do.

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  • Roses13
    Roses13 Member Posts: 3
    edited March 2017

    How long is do you take chemo and herceptin for her2+

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited March 2017

    Roses - I believe the issue is mets to the brain for HER2+ if you do NOT treat the tumors. The only real issue I know of with herceptin is possible heart damage, but as a rule it is reversible - unlike some other chemo treatments.

    Do you have IDC? What is the grade? How big is the tumor? Are you ER/PR positive? That would offer yet another long term treatment opportunity.

    What is your general health like? That will make a difference to both the treatment and to how you handle the side effects.

    I had 6 rounds of chemo every three weeks with taxotere, carboplatin, herceptin & perjeta before surgery (neo-adjuvant). That is pretty standard, but your doc may know a way to modify that. Then you will take herceptin every 3 weeks for a total of 17 treatments.

    Please do let us know some more details and keep in touch as you make your decision.

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