An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

I am getting Herceptin (Trastuzumab) and Tykerb (Lapatanib) to treat my metastatic HER-2 positive breast cancer. It is controlling the cancer very well so far, but I happened to notice something else. I used to get eczema on the palms of my hands, especially in the winter. It would start with little blister-like bumps that would crack open and flake off, leaving sore, raw skin underneath that would sometimes bleed. A month or two ago I realized I haven't had eczema since I began cancer treatment.

There's more, though. The first symptom that caused me to seek a diagnostic mammogram was that exact same thing happening to my left nipple. It was, in fact, diagnosed by a dermatologist as eczema, and it responded brilliantly to the tiny tube of prescription ointment that he gave me.

HER-2 is a skin protein. Our type of breast cancer causes overexpression of this protein.

One of my daughters has a masters degree in biomedical science policy and advocacy. When I told her I seem to have stumbled upon an expensive cure for eczema she told me there's an eczema drug in development with either a "mab" or "nib" suffix. (She told me which one, I just can't remember what she said.)

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

other cancer patients have noted improvements in their allergies. It may be that cancer (her2+ breast cancer in particular) does a number on their immune systems (or that the immune abnormality allows development of the breast cancer in the first place) so it may have to do with other things besides the fact that her2 is a receptor for epidermal growth factor. (It could be both factors and others besides)

Please add this to the long thread under Herceptin/tykerb on side effects/beneficial effects of herceptin so others can benefit from having all this info in one place!

Thanks!

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

Lani-

I copied this thread to the other forum. I had never done that before. It's easy!

Amy

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

very interesting

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

This is interesting. I was having a lot of new food allergies before I was diagnosed, they started two years before and disappeared with treatment.

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

I didn't get or lose allergies or conditions, but I gained Chemo Cravings.

With Tykerb, Xeloda and Herceptin: salmon sushi. Hair grew back brown and barely wavy.

T-DM1: Indian food. The hotter, the better. Hair grew back black and curly.

Mmmmm.

Karen

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

Amy,

Does this one ring the bell?

http://www.nationaleczema.org/blog/a...zema-treatment

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

Oncol Lett. 2012 Jul;4(1):83-85. Epub 2012 Apr 11.
Synchronous bilateral Paget's disease of the breast: A case report.

Xie B, Zheng H, Lan H, Cui B, Jin K, Cao F.
Source

Department of Surgical Oncology, Taizhou Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Linhai, Zhejiang 317000, P.R. China.

Abstract

Synchronous bilateral Paget's disease of the nipple is extremely rare. In the present study, we report a case of synchronous bilateral Paget's disease in a 45-year-old woman who had a medical history of gastric cancer. The patient presented with a 6-month history of eczema and itching in both nipples. Mammography and ultrasonography did not reveal any mass lesions in the bilateral breast, and computed tomography and bone scintigraphy showed no site of distant metastasis. The patient was scheduled for mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy. The histological diagnosis was Paget's disease of the breast with no evidence of underlying invasive ductal carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast tissue. There was no metastasis in either of the sentinel nodes. Immunohistochemical staining showed a negative expression of oestrogen and progesterone receptors. The patient has not received chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormonal therapy. The patient has been disease-free for 7 months following surgery.

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

maybe it's the tykerb because I was on Taxol and Herceptin and had horrible skin problems, rashes that turned into sores and itched and no dermatologist could solve it - cortisone creams were useless, the only think that helped was calamine lotion which stopped the itching a little. nice to hear of a good side effect!!!
good health

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

I learned something from this post. I didn't know that HER2 was a skin protien. Hmmm... I wonder if there's a connection between all the skin tags that appeared during my pregnancy and my diagnosis of HER2 breast cancer several months later. I'm on Hercepting too and it seems like my skin tags are getting smaller and disappearing.

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

I'm on TCH and feel like I'm 13 again instead of 48 - major rash that looks like acne. Going to my looking good feeling better class 2nite and was going to ask about that so thanks sarah for bringing up the different chemo and different experience.

Re: An Unexpected Benefit from Treatment
 

IrvineFriend: be careful not to put foundation or a foundation powder on your face if you have a rash. It will make if much worse. I had the same reaction and I would put Neosporin on my face and it really helped. I use to be a make up artist and the one rule we always followed was never put make up on if a someone has a rash on their face. Good news is that it goes away once you stop Taxol.