HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Why do I read posts saying hercept not working

Lani · 07-19-2013, 01:12 AM

It often seems that posts can be inaccurate (noone is being graded here and there are no pop-quizzes, just people trying to help one another!)...by saying herceptin is not working they may mean that monotherapy herceptin is no longer able to keep them NED, that they need to add something to it.

Cancer is like a puppy dog that wants to get out of the house to chase the squirrels. Herceptin is like locking the front door. They puppy may learn it is possible to get out to play with the squirrels by going out the backdoor instead (eg, using her3, EGFR, IGFR, ER, etc paths to escape the blockade of the her2 pathway). Giving chemo is often like accelerating the aging of the puppy. It gets taller and able to jump on the dresser and jump out the window!!

For Stage IVs, it is usually just a question of what they will add next to herceptin if monotherapy is inssufficient to keep it from progressing(like which window/door to close in addition in the case of the puppy)

Hope this helps!

07-19-2013, 01:12 AM	#3
Lani Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4,778	Re: Why do I read posts saying hercept not working It often seems that posts can be inaccurate (noone is being graded here and there are no pop-quizzes, just people trying to help one another!)...by saying herceptin is not working they may mean that monotherapy herceptin is no longer able to keep them NED, that they need to add something to it. Cancer is like a puppy dog that wants to get out of the house to chase the squirrels. Herceptin is like locking the front door. They puppy may learn it is possible to get out to play with the squirrels by going out the backdoor instead (eg, using her3, EGFR, IGFR, ER, etc paths to escape the blockade of the her2 pathway). Giving chemo is often like accelerating the aging of the puppy. It gets taller and able to jump on the dresser and jump out the window!! For Stage IVs, it is usually just a question of what they will add next to herceptin if monotherapy is inssufficient to keep it from progressing(like which window/door to close in addition in the case of the puppy) Hope this helps!