[StephN]

Hey Julierene -
That news makes my day! Knew you could do it!

Just to let you know how things went for me when I was looking like NED. The scan showed some little spots left in my liver (that had been full of BIG spots). He thought that was likely scar left over.
We decided to do 3 more treatments weekly of the Taxol, navelbine, Herceptin. I was getting the Epo and Neupogen to keep my counts up so was doing ok that way. I tolerated the three more treatments and by then my CA27-29 and CEA were all about normal again. Remember that the drugs will keep working in your body to some extent for months, as the half life expires.

I have remained on 3-weekly Herceptin since that time with Zometa for my bones. There are a number of us on this board who have been diagnosed stage IV and are maintaining for years so far on Herceptin alone or with Zometa or a homone blocker if appropriate.

I am also hormone negative so have nothing else but what I have been getting - and it has WORKED! Like you have grade 3 tumor.

You should be able to qualify for one of the versions of HER2 vaccine trials. I am ready to look at a new version that will take those of us with stable or resolved brain mets and long use of Herceptin. Those two things disqualified me from the trials in the past. I am at University of Washington.

You are a "responder" like many of us - so expect to live a long and happy life.