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02-10-2004, 04:38 AM

He wrote:
"The chemo was every 21 days for 8 cycles.
Near the end of cycles the bc. was seen as gone.
Herceptin was continued for 2-3 more cycles where upon bc returned. Aggressively. No real chance to mets as far as we can tell.

Question: Should she have been taken off Herceptin ( onc. said it failed to work)???

Question: Is herceptin a cure by its self or is it a helper drug for chemo's like taxol, carbo, etc."

Hello -
Sorry to hear your wife is having such a bad time. Without more specific info it is not easy to figure out why the herceptin was d/c. Is it possible that your wife has some heart trouble that has developed? Was she given a MUGA heart test? Evidence of heart problems would be a reason to take a break from herceptin.

If the simple statement "it failed to work" has any basis, again we would need to know more. Herceptin is a large protein that battles Her-2/neu, a growth-factor receptor, by inhibiting it with an antibody. Chemo drugs kill the cancer cells (as well as other cells) in various stages of division. Herceptin is not toxic in the same way - as it clamps on to the cancer cells (why called a "targeted therapy") and does not allow them to divide, whereupon they die. Her-2/neu plus 2 or 3 cells have extra gene copies and are very fast dividing. When the Herceptin is working (not in all cases or patients) there should be no tumor growth and in many women not only is there stabilization, but the tumors shrink or disappear all together (in my case - also on large doses of chemo in conjunctin with Herceptin).
There are many studies showing that WEEKLY treatment is more effective in cases with fast growing tumors (was so in my case, for example).
The reason that so many of us stay on herceptin alone after chemo is that it is our ONLY "insurance policy" for the type of disease that we have. Even tho there is no evidence of active disease, there is still a fight going on inside our bodies, as there is NO CURE for Her-2/neu type cancers, whether breast, colon, lung or whatever (talking about primary now - not mets).
Your wife should NOT give up - get another opinion or go to another cancer center in a nearby city. There IS some combination that should be able to help her.
I shall pray for guidance and healing for your wife.

02-10-2004, 04:38 AM	#4
Steph N. Guest Posts: n/a	He wrote: "The chemo was every 21 days for 8 cycles. Near the end of cycles the bc. was seen as gone. Herceptin was continued for 2-3 more cycles where upon bc returned. Aggressively. No real chance to mets as far as we can tell. Question: Should she have been taken off Herceptin ( onc. said it failed to work)??? Question: Is herceptin a cure by its self or is it a helper drug for chemo's like taxol, carbo, etc." Hello - Sorry to hear your wife is having such a bad time. Without more specific info it is not easy to figure out why the herceptin was d/c. Is it possible that your wife has some heart trouble that has developed? Was she given a MUGA heart test? Evidence of heart problems would be a reason to take a break from herceptin. If the simple statement "it failed to work" has any basis, again we would need to know more. Herceptin is a large protein that battles Her-2/neu, a growth-factor receptor, by inhibiting it with an antibody. Chemo drugs kill the cancer cells (as well as other cells) in various stages of division. Herceptin is not toxic in the same way - as it clamps on to the cancer cells (why called a "targeted therapy") and does not allow them to divide, whereupon they die. Her-2/neu plus 2 or 3 cells have extra gene copies and are very fast dividing. When the Herceptin is working (not in all cases or patients) there should be no tumor growth and in many women not only is there stabilization, but the tumors shrink or disappear all together (in my case - also on large doses of chemo in conjunctin with Herceptin). There are many studies showing that WEEKLY treatment is more effective in cases with fast growing tumors (was so in my case, for example). The reason that so many of us stay on herceptin alone after chemo is that it is our ONLY "insurance policy" for the type of disease that we have. Even tho there is no evidence of active disease, there is still a fight going on inside our bodies, as there is NO CURE for Her-2/neu type cancers, whether breast, colon, lung or whatever (talking about primary now - not mets). Your wife should NOT give up - get another opinion or go to another cancer center in a nearby city. There IS some combination that should be able to help her. I shall pray for guidance and healing for your wife.