Is it possible to get Herceptin w/out doing Chemo?
 

We have been told that insurance won't pay for it alone and that chemo must be done with it. Any advice or suggestions?

Told by whom? Insurance company or doctor? Or hear-say?

i got herceptin alone but i had already finished ac and taxotere....my 1st onc forgot to give me the herceptin and of course my present onc starts it with taxotere. i recently came off another 3 months of herceptin alone but still had progression so we stopped it. but insurance paid each time so i don't know. my primary is medicare if that makes a difference?

I don't think I explained my question very well - sorry! My sister will not do chemo (for may different reasons) and wanted to just do herceptin. She had microcalcifications removed from her breast in Dec. (HER2+) and the lymphnodes were clear. Her PET scan was clear. She did radiation. At her check up there were some spots on her lungs but the new PET scan hasn't changed from the last so she was told to just come back again in 3 mths. Her oncologist has no bed side manor and said the insurance companines will not pay for herceptin treatment without doing chemo too. Also, he said herceptin isn't really very effective unless you do it w/chemo. Thank you for any advice - she is only 36.

hmmm - I would 1. talk to the insurance/business office person at the doctor's office, and also 2. call your ins company to confirm, and 3. also consider changing oncologists. One thing to know is that it is not unheard of for an unsavory oncologist to "steer" you towards treatments that they make more money from. A cynical view, I know, but I have heard that it does happen. Also, maybe post your question on the main forum here... the general her2 forum.

I found this Q and A on the Breastcancer.org website... doesn't speak to insurance coverage, though.

Study with AI plus Herceptin, no chemo?

Question from Rooster: I'm post-menopausal, hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer. I want the benefits of hormonal therapy and Herceptin—but I'd really like to avoid chemo. I heard about a study using an aromatase inhibitor along with Herceptin, without the chemo. Tell me more about this?
Answer —Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H.: It sounds as if the tumor that you've been treated for is responsive both to hormonal therapies and to Herceptin. Most U.S. oncologists have favored chemotherapy in patients whose tumors are HER2-positive. The use of hormonal therapy and Herceptin without chemotherapy is particularly appealing in somebody with an otherwise "lower risk" tumor, for example, small tumor, negative nodes. The benefits of chemotherapy may be small in somebody with a small tumor and negative lymph nodes. Nonetheless, as I said above, most oncologists will recommend chemotherapy in this setting. This is something you'll want to talk about with your doctor in your particular case. At the San Antonio conference, the combination of an aromatase inhibitor and Herceptin was shown to be highly effective in women with advanced, metastatic breast cancer. Most of us who take care of patients have used this combination for quite some time, often with long-lasting results. Studying this combination without chemotherapy in women with early stage disease will be important before it becomes standard practice.

I received Herceptin without chemotherapy as adjuvant tx for a 1.3 cm 80% ER+ 50% PR+ her2+++ IDC beginning in August, 2006. I was post menopausal at dx (age 52). My oncologist was in private practice, and willing to use this non-standard protocol with me because I would not do chemotherapy. I received one year of every three week infusions and started an AI (hormonal therapy) that is to continue for 5 years. My insurance (HMO) paid for everything. I had qualms about the coverage before we started, but my onc said that we wouldn't get push back from them. Thank goodness, he was right!

Hopeful

I think she may need to consider the chemo
 

The spots on her lungs are concerning.

These are verified cancer?

Tammy Lou

I received herceptin alone for 5 years with estrogen blockers as stage 4--I am now on Tykerb alone--It works for some
Kathy T