[Lani]

cancer is like a puppy dog that likes to go out into the yard and chase squirrels--if you lock the front door, it tries to go out the back, and if you block that it looks for another escape.

Blocking her2 causes those cancer cells with the possibility (those already with the genes turned on or those which can change so that the genes get turned on) to outcompete the rest and grow, escape and metastasize further.

It turns out this ETA is another pathway shared in her2+ breast cancers which her2 cancers often use to escape the blocking of her2. By blocking both simultaneously, you make it that much harder for it to escape the treatment.

Since ETA blocking seems to also keep EGF(R) from also being used as an escape route, it is triple blocking. Many cancer researchers feel triple targetted therapy will be the most successful targeted therapy of the future.

EGFR is also known as her1 and is a frequent partner in crime of her2--her2 rarely acts alone to have its effects.