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IM thankful tht my onc uses the HER2 serum test. My baseline was 10.1 and that weas right before I started Herceptin. I had it done every 12 weeks and it constantly dropped to a low of 6.3. I've been offHerceptin since the end of April and my last HER2 serum was 9.5 so I asked for a scan -- well I now have lung mets. I strongly believe that had I not been having the serum test I still would not be aware of my lung mets since onc and I decided that we would not do rountine scans unless I had symptoms or my markers went up.
This is not to say the Serum test is right for eveyone or that a rise would indicate mets. But, in my case my body was very sensitive to the test.
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Kate
Stage IIIC Diagnosed Oct 25, 2005 (age 58)
ER/PR-, HER2+++, grade 3, Ploidy/DNA index: Aneuploid/1.61, S-phase: 24.2%
Neoadjunct chemo: 4 A/C; 4 Taxatore
Bilateral mastectomy June 8, 2006
14 of 26 nodes positive
Herceptin June 22, 2006 - April 20, 2007
Radiation (X35) July 24-September 11, 2006
BRCA1/BRCA2 negative
Stage IV lung mets July 13, 2007 - TCH
Single brain met - August 6, 2007 -CyberKnife
Oct 2007 - clear brain MRI and lung mets shrinking.
March 2008 lung met progression, brain still clear - begin Tykerb/Xeloda/Ixempra
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