[RobinP]

A copy from another post of mine applies here too as a positive note:

These are quotes from the esteemed E. Perez, MD:

''Unlike ER-positive breast cancer, in which events are strung out over the course of 10 to 15 years, in HER2-positive breast cancer most of the events occur in the first five years and a lot of them occur in the first couple of years. That is part of the reason why, in each of these studies, we saw a dramatic benefit early on, even in the first year (Perez 2005b; Piccart-Gebhart 2005; Romond 2005)"

I guess Perez is basing her comments on retrospective studies which go back after the event and analyze data. According to Perez, survival after five years for her2+, er-, pr- is a milestone, not a guaranteed cure, but a certainly a positive milestone.

Of course, we'll get the full story , and perhaps a more accurate picture, of natural history from prospective studies like the HERA where data is analyzed as it is made.

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