HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - ASCO herceptin trial updates for primary BC

Lani · 06-14-2007, 01:50 AM

I think you have oversimplfied the matter because the true statistics have not been gathered/published. The decrease in recurrence for AIs/other antihormonals are for ALL BC patients. As we all know, if you take statistics for ALL BC patients they just don't hold for her2+ patients. Her2 has not been tested for that long, in that many patients and with enough exactitude to generate the kind of statistics needed it seems.

I have asked Charles Perou, who is one of the world experts on the molecular subtyping of breast cancer (look his articles up on PubMed) about
where her2+ER+ tumors fit into all this

He admits they still really don't know where the "her2+ER+s" should be classified, with most of them falling within the luminal B group (which is a hodgepodge of other tumors with quite diverse gene expression profiles)rather than in the "her2 group" (where the her2+ER- tumors lie)

Most have VERY different genes up- and down- regulated than most her2+ER- TUMORS and there is a great deal of diversity even within the her2+ er+ group.

The old statistics from Adjuvant online have not yet been adjusted to take into account our knowledge of the molecular subtyping. I will be hearing a lecture from the man who "invented" Adjuvant online within the next month in which he discusses just that.

Who would pay for all breast cancer tumors to have a gene expression profile( best done on fresh or freshfrozen tumor specimens) in order to subcategorize them to discover the natural history of each, recurrence rate of each, best treatment for each?

If Edwards were President or VP, I am sure the money would be found.

Were that to occur ie, with such a precedent, I am certain the fight against cancers OF ALL TYPES
would be greatly accelerated.

06-14-2007, 01:50 AM	#9
Lani Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4,778	dilly I think you have oversimplfied the matter because the true statistics have not been gathered/published. The decrease in recurrence for AIs/other antihormonals are for ALL BC patients. As we all know, if you take statistics for ALL BC patients they just don't hold for her2+ patients. Her2 has not been tested for that long, in that many patients and with enough exactitude to generate the kind of statistics needed it seems. I have asked Charles Perou, who is one of the world experts on the molecular subtyping of breast cancer (look his articles up on PubMed) about where her2+ER+ tumors fit into all this He admits they still really don't know where the "her2+ER+s" should be classified, with most of them falling within the luminal B group (which is a hodgepodge of other tumors with quite diverse gene expression profiles)rather than in the "her2 group" (where the her2+ER- tumors lie) Most have VERY different genes up- and down- regulated than most her2+ER- TUMORS and there is a great deal of diversity even within the her2+ er+ group. The old statistics from Adjuvant online have not yet been adjusted to take into account our knowledge of the molecular subtyping. I will be hearing a lecture from the man who "invented" Adjuvant online within the next month in which he discusses just that. Who would pay for all breast cancer tumors to have a gene expression profile( best done on fresh or freshfrozen tumor specimens) in order to subcategorize them to discover the natural history of each, recurrence rate of each, best treatment for each? If Edwards were President or VP, I am sure the money would be found. Were that to occur ie, with such a precedent, I am certain the fight against cancers OF ALL TYPES would be greatly accelerated.