[Lani]

I am not an oncologist, radiation therapist or oncologic surgeon just someone who thinks themselves well-read.

I am by nature one who likes evidence--like those from Missouri, the "show me" state.

Before considering oneself cured I would think a bone marrow test which failed to show any disseminated tumor cells would be in line.

Oncologists seem not to like to do them (in the US they are no longer trained as hematologists as well and so never did them often enough to get comfortable enough or good enough with the procedure) and repeat over and over that patients don't like them either--although they do not offer them to patients and although the seem happy to give patients chemotherapy which I would suppose patients "like"????????

Until a trial is done with long term NED Stage IVs testing their bone marrows at the time they stop perception( it seems since updating my operating system every time I type herceptin
the spell checker changes it to perception!!!!!) following them up thereafter, and seeing if DTC-free status and lack of recurrence thereafter correlate, we just won't know.