Months time to Progression

[julierene]

Study Results
Women taking lapatinib plus chemotherapy benefited more overall than women taking a placebo plus chemotherapy. Median progression-free survival, or the time women went without their cancer growing, was 7.9 months for the combination group, compared to 5.2 months for the group that took chemotherapy alone.
Women in the combination group responded to treatment for a median of 7.4 months, compared to 5.5 months for the placebo group. In the combination group, treatment lessened the presence of disease in 60 percent of women, compared to 36 percent in the placebo group.

http://www.lbbc.org/content/news/combination-treatment-shows-promise-for-women-with-advanced-breast-cancer.asp?section_tag=A&tr=y&auid=3059530

Does this trouble anyone else? I am on this treatment for 2 months extra? It seems almost worthless in how it is presented - to even be on this treatment. Ugh! I'm taking Tykerb and Xeloda, but shesh.... Is this what I have to look forward to? 2 more extra months?

Then you see this:

In a study of 321 women, all with advanced breast cancer who tested positive for HER2, 160 who received Tykerb with Xeloda had no cancer growth for 36.9 weeks. The other 161 women who were on Xeloda alone experienced no cancer growth for just 19.7 weeks. The trial was stopped so that the women who were not taking Tykerb could do so if they wished.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/44505.php

Which way is it?

[Becky]

Dear Julierene

There have been more than one Tykerb/Xeloda study. A general study, a brain mets study and an IBC study. They just really haven't indicated which is which (which is the media for ya). In the next days, I will try to find the studies (I think they are on the ASCO and Sabcs sites when they were presented in 2006.

[chrisy]

Julierene,

I always look at these statistics as just indicators. So, tykerb + is "better" than chemo alone. Remember, these are median ttp's - and not results for any individual. Remember, too, that you are a "responder"! The test results include people who may not have responded well anyway.

Not very scientific, maybe, but that's how I look at it.

[Becky]

http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.34d60f5624ba07fd506fe310ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=76f8201eb61a7010VgnVCM100000ed730ad1RCR D&vmview=abst_detail_view&confID=47&index=y&abstractID=35372

http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.34d60f5624ba07fd506fe310ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=76f8201eb61a7010VgnVCM100000ed730ad1RCR D&vmview=abst_detail_view&confID=40&abstractID=90002

http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.34d60f5624ba07fd506fe310ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=76f8201eb61a7010VgnVCM100000ed730ad1RCR D&vmview=abst_detail_view&confID=40&abstractID=34006

http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.34d60f5624ba07fd506fe310ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=76f8201eb61a7010VgnVCM100000ed730ad1RCR D&vmview=abst_detail_view&confID=40&abstractID=32820

I might have repeated a study. Not sure. I will continue to look for others.