For those who had only a partial response to Herceptin

[Joe]

We received a press release today from Genentech. Christine and I spoke to the Product Manager of Herceptin at San Francisco last weekend and he was very excited about this.

Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) is a drug used to treat breast cancer in women whose tumors contain the receptor for a protein called HER2. In some women, however, the drug stops working. Researchers are therefore seeking more effective drugs for this disease.
Trastuzumab-MCC-DM1 is an investigational drug that contains trastuzumab linked to a chemotherapy drug. When trastuzumab binds to the HER2 protein, it then releases the chemotherapy drug directly to the tumor cells. Trastuzumab-MCC-DM1 has caused cancer cells to die in laboratory studies, and has prevented or slowed the growth of breast cancer in animal studies.

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00509769?order=2


Regards
Joe
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[lilyecuadorian]

you are just a ANGEL ....with us .thanks thanks

[Lolly]

Joe, your link didn't go to the specific trial, but I found it and have taken the liberty of providing it below:

A Study of Trastuzumab-MCC-DM1 Administered Intravenously to Patients With HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00509769?order=1

[Barbara H.]

I am waiting for one small test to allow me to take part in this trial. This is the trial I wasn't able to begin this past summer because of the low muga scan. Then after my muga increased the trial closed You also have to be off all treatment for four weeks. I have therefore been off all treatment since June. This has been painful for me because my cancer has continued to progress in the bones. Herceptin alone actually worked for me in the beginning. The breast cancer was in my lymph nodes, liver and lungs and a few infusions brought me to NED. Unfortunately, in February 06 it was detected in the bones. At this point, I am scheduled to receive my first infusion of this drug next Thursday. It must be quite tolerable because the oncologist said I should feel well enough to give my speech to my classroom parents at Curriculum Night later that evening. The tolerance of this drug certainly sounds better than what I have been reading about Tykerb on this forum. I was waiting until I received the official word of being in the trial to post this information, but with Joe's post decided not to wait. Of course, I will let everyone know how I tolerate this drug and what kind of response I receive from it.
Best regards,
Barbara H.

[Joanne S]

Thanks again Joe! Can't thank you enough for your support and dedication in keeping us HER2ers informed.

WOW this is very exciting and promising news, Thank Genetech. And Thank the Lord!!

Let us all pray for best possible responses in this trial!

[Joanne S]

Barbara, Sending my best wishes and praying for you!

[pattyz]

Barbara,
Keeping good HOPEFUL thoughts for you...

It must have been so difficult not to be on any tx and waiting.

May you have a quick positive response.

hugs,
patty

[Julie2]

Barbara,

I wishing all the best and a complete response with this drug. Please keep us posted.

Thanks,
Julie

[Sherryg683]

Exciting news, thanks for the info. I know I can always go here to keep up to date...sherryg

[eric]

also available at Sloan....http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/2270.cfm?IRBNO=06-049

[Barbara H.]

The trial that Eric posted is actually the trial I am in. It is the same drug, but it is a phase 1 trial. I believe I am in that trial because you have to have measurable disease to be in the phase II trial and for some reason bone mets are not easy to measure. I am being treated at the Dana Farber. When this trial first started a year ago treatment was every three weeks and I would have preferred that. Now it is every week. However, it is very tolerable for most patients, and I am therefore happy to be a part of this trial.

[StephN]

Barbara -
I am SO glad to hear that this trial is available to you. Am sure you would NOT have waited so long to start treating again if you (and your doc) had not thought this a good shot against those bone mets.

And an easy treatment to tolerate while you are back school teaching to boot. Sounds much better that getting "the trots" with the Tykerb. Can't imagine having to scoot out of the classroom in mid sentence ...

Will send you all the good vibes I can muster for this to be the last treatment you will need for these stubborn mets.

[hutchibk]

Barbara - please don't be afraid of Tykerb. Some have reactions to it, some don't. I have absolutely none. I tolerate it extremely well. Overall, I think I feel better on Tykerb than on Herceptin. I had a general malaise on Herceptin that I haven't felt since on Tykerb/Xeloda. But, I was on Herc for 18 months and have only been on T/X for 5 months. I don't even have diarrhea anymore on T/X (maybe one day a month). I only have a sore toenail. There are 'fixes' for the Tykerb side-effects, and I am guessing that many of the side-effects are from Xeloda too. I have found that the main key to tolerating all chemos and gene therapies is eating as healthy, whole, close to the earth as possible. Whenever I trip up just a little, my body tells me so by revolting in some small way. When I concentrate on dietary wholesomeness and commit to it, I feel amazing, considering all that they have thrown at me!

Tykerbers - remember:
*no grapefruit products
*no folic acid (it can be found in your multi-vits and b-complex... it can make the side-effects worse)