Thank you for your response. I did a full year of Herceptin in conjunction with dose dense chemo. I had a mastectomy and micro metastasis in one node, no radiation all ending in October 2007. I must be on the right track. Are there any studies that you know of that show 5 year plus survival rates of patients who have taken this route. I know the figures when presented by my oncologist for improving survival were impressive going into the process. Herceptin is relatively new so I'm curious about further studies.
Thanks.
Anne26
Hi there.
Yes you are correct. Her2Neu positive tumors tend to me more aggressive, more resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs and even hormonal therapy. For these reasons, they usually occur earlier and generally have a more unfavorable course and prognosis. However, there is a drug specifically aimed to target Her2+ cancer, this drug is called Herceptin. Studies have shown that this drug either given alone or in combination with other chemotherapy drugs can decrease the chance of recurrence and eventually improve treatment outcomes. Another drug approved for those who failed Herceptin is Lapatinib (Tykerb).
Regards...