herceptin vs tomoxifin

[terrisarlo]

I have gone through a bilateral mastectomy and 6 months of chemo (5fu andmethotrexate) and now my oncologist suggest herceptin. This is goning to be tough for me to get to since the hospital is an hour away and my job is changing in January. This will mean a half day away from work every three weeks. I was BRCA negative, not genetically caused, had a small cancer removed from my left breast and one lymph node with cancer removed. I am 52 and relatively healthy otherwise. I have to make this decision soon since they want me to start the herceptin in January. Thanks for any help you can give me in this decision.

[japdip]

Herceptin and Tamoxifen are different drugs with entirely different actions. One does not replace the other in treatment. Tamoxifen blocks Estrogen and Herceptin deals with the over production of a protein. They are often given together. As the previous poster stated; if your tumor was Her2 positive you should definitely follow the Herceptin recommendation.  Regards ...

[BJSaws]

It is my understanding that Herceptin is given for tumors that were Her2 positive.  If indeed your tumor was Her2 positive, then you should take the Herceptin.  It has been shown to prevent a recurrence in many cases.  I don't know the statistics, but I'm sure you can find them on the web.  You need to discuss this with your oncologist, since he/she is most familiar with your particular case.
Good luck with your treatment!