[chrisy]

Hi,

True, there is no data indicating when/if it is "safe" to discontinue Herceptin once diagnosed as Stage IV. There are several people who post here who after having been NED for years on Herceptin have stopped. They are in uncharted waters and are being monitored very closely. All of these folks were at least 7 years out although there are some who are asking this question after 4-5 years.

It is not clear to me from the stats in your signature why you are classified Stage IV. Did you have cancer spread to other places besides the axillary nodes? I see you had Pet/CT scans, maybe cancer was detected elsewhere that you did not indicate.

I guess the short answer is, most people diagnosed at Stage IV can expect to continue on Herceptin "indefinitely".

The treatment cost varies widely, and remember that most insurance co's pay much less than the original amount billed. I think mine was around $3000 every 3 weeks. Still a lot of money. However, continuing on Herceptin is standard of care, so most insurance companies pay.