anyone heard of femara for homone negative?

[Bert]

I saw the doctor last Friday and then Tuesday , the nurse called and said, the doc wanted me to go on femara. I'm Her2/nue+++ but ER-, PR-. I've never heard of this and can't discuss it with the doc right now because my onc is out of the country and I've had "fill in" onc since June. Has anyone heard of this? I'd appreciate any info on this, one way or the other. BERTA

[Guest]

I am also Her2+++ and ER/PR negative. Initially my oncologist mentioned Femara to me as a possibility. I read the Femura website and some studies about this drug, and there was no evidence that Femara is effective for anything but ER/PR negative (I recall that there was one small reference to something related to ER/PR negative, but it wasn't significant enough for me to think it was important). Femara is still an aromatase inhibitor, and has little proven effect on ER/PR negative cancer cells. I told my oncologist that it didn't make sense for me to take it and he agreed. I am finished with my chemo, surgery and radiation, and yesterday I started on Herceptin weekly until ????

Herceptin is the only thing that's proven to work in this type of case, and until something better comes along, I'm glad it's out there :-)

Good luck!
Val

[Sandy H.]

Val is correct I am Her2 ER/PR negative and the only thing for me is the Herceptin until something else comes out hopfully soon. hugs, Sandy

[al from canada]

Berta,
This sounds very wierd to me. Did you ask why? Did they give you an answer?

Al

[vpfeiffer]

Oops!!! I meant "...there was no evidence that Femara is effective for anything but ER/PR POSITIVE..."

It sounds like you knew what I meant, though. I guess it's too late at night for me to be writing intelligent posts :-)

Val

[Lyn]

I wasn't hormone responsive and I had Femara in the year 2000, it did nothing for me then, yet Aromasin did, it got rid of a few enlarged lymphs while I was waiting to have them treated with radiation, so at that time I didn't need radiation, and I have been on it again for the last couple of years, even while having reoccurencse, I just figure the more bullets the better. Apparently your status can change and mine must have after I was thrown into early menopause from the chemo. Trial and error is the only answer I am afraid, none of us are alike in this crazy unrelenting disease.

Love & Hugs Lyn

[Bert]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm new to this board and I appreciate all the help. I went in yesterday and talked to the nurse. She thinks it may have been a mistake as one of the "fill in" docs wrote in a progress note that I was PR+. I live in rural southern Indiana and as I said, my regular onc is out of the country. At any rate, they are calling the head of the department in Indianapolis Monday to ask him whether this is a mistake or if I should take the femara and if I should take it, he is going to have someone explain to me why. I guess It does pay to read up on things and to question what doesn't make sense to you. Berta

[Bert]

I got a phone call today from the nurse. She had called the head of the department in Indianapolis and he said it was a mistake, that I should NOT take the femara. Someone had written that I was ER+ on a progress note and the next "rent a doc" had seen it and ran with it. At least that's one med I don't have to worry about now. Berta