[sarah]

Looking for suggestions of treatments that have worked for a friend with IBC.

About my friend: IBC, HER2+++, ER/PR-, recent CA 15,3 was 50, (it’s been much higher at different times and I think 30 was the lowest at one point) still on Herceptin, done taxotere, Gemzar, cisplatin, navelbine, Caelyx, and may have done some others also. Trying to get into a Tykerb trial but they do monthly biopsies and think her tumors are too hard and dangerous to biopsy – however her oncologist, who is also a radiologist and head of a cancer hospital, thinks they are easy to biopsy???? But the trial people are the only ones who can do the biopsy so now not sure she’ll be taken.

Does anyone know of trials that check progression by scans instead of biopsies or do they all use biopsies for Tykerb? How can I contact the makers of Tykerb?

Any suggestions for me to help my friend?

From what I understand, she has tumors over her lungs.

What follows is the last scan for her which I have badly translated from French to English:

Oncologist/radiologist summary:
From thorax scan: progression at the parenchymatous level of nodular lesions bilaterales invading different lobes the largest is on the right 14x11.5 on right superior lobe. The left has 10 formations on the superior lobe the largest is 14x12mm plus a lesion in the gutter (gouttiere) costo vertebrale of 18x13x31mm
radiologist Dr. Dubruque who did the scan:

conclusion: numerical and volumetric progression of parenchymatous lesions pulmonary bilaterales.


Thanks

sarah