Good news for the holidays--how herceptin has changed the prognosis of her2+ breast

[Lani]

cancer

http://www.abstracts2view.com/sabcs/view.php?nu=SABCS07L_435

[Margerie]

I wonder if the her2+ population in this study was also hormone+. Doesn't specify??
I am triple + and always wondered if the hormone+ trumps the her2+ or vice versa.

[Bev]

M. I think the luminal includes some hormonal positivity, one or the other. So I think this is good for you. BB

[Becky]

It is always better to have the hormone receptors be positive - even if only one is and two are better.

[Margerie]

I know that generally hormone + patients have a more favorable prognosis than hormone negative, her2 + tumors are considered more aggressive than her2- and the majority of HER2+ patients are hormone negative. So if you are strongly er+ and pr+ and her2 3+, is this double good (two targets for treatment) or is this bad because of the er/her2 crosstalk?

I haven't seen any studies differentiating the her2+ population- except the er+/pr- tamoxifen study.

Yes, this is why we need a tumor registry to figure out all this stuff!

[Karen W]

I think I remember reading that because of the crosstalk with the er/pr and her2 receptors, Tamoxifen is not an effective treatment for Her2+ bc. That is why (supposedly) Aromatase Inhibitors are better when you are Her2+ and er/pr+.

I think this is correct but not certain.

Karen