[Joan M]

I inquired with Dr. Black's office at Cedars-Sinai about a potential treatment for breast cancer brain metastases after reading an article in The New York Times about glioblastoma brain cancer which discussed treating this very deadly cancer with intrathecal chemotherapy. Dr. Black was cited in the article. A few years ago when I had my brain metastasis, I had read about a trial to treat breast cancer brain metastases with interathecal Herceptin. The trial was in Germany. At the time, I asked my neuro-oncologist about it, and he said he'd never heard of the trial. In any case, here's the response to my e-mail:

On behalf of Dr. Keith L. Black, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, I thank you for your inquiry and interest in our program. Thank you for sharing your history with us, and I’m very happy to learn you have been cancer free since October 2008. Dr. Black and Dr. Chirag Patil, our Director of the Center for Neurosurgical Outcomes Research, are developing a trial that would allow penetration of Herceptin into the metastatic brain tumors (from HER2+breast cancer). The study will likely open sometime next year – perhaps March 2011. Please feel free to check back with us next Spring as to the status and enrollment options.

In my initial e-mail I asked the doctor's office to put me on their mailing list for any trials that might become available for metastatic breast cancer brain tumors. Needless to say, I was totally surprised -- and happy about -- the response. I then asked for permission to post this information here, and they said it was okay. Dr. Black was one of the doctors quoted in the article which discussed only glioblastomas.

Joan