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bejuce · 01-15-2010, 09:21 PM

Dear lovey,

I was diagnosed in February '09 at 38 (see signature) with ER+/PR-/HER-2+ breast cancer, with a huge tumor showing on the MRI. I did 4 cycles of dose-dense AC, followed by 4 cycles of Taxotere, during which I took Tykerb daily. This was part of a clinical trial at Stanford. I then one cycle of Herceptin and had a bilateral mastectomy which showed that my 10x12 cm tumor disappeared completely. I had, however, small deposits of viable cells in about 11/13 nodes, with the largest focus being of 8 mm.

Because of the leftover cells after my mastectomy, my oncologist added Xeloda (albeit at a low dose) during radiation. I had no side effects from the Xeloda, but the Tykerb gave me a skin rash (like a sunburn on my face) and some diarrhea (mild). Both were very easy to tolerate.

Good luck and all the best to you!

01-15-2010, 09:21 PM	#3
bejuce Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 510	Re: xeloda/tykerb for early stagers? Dear lovey, I was diagnosed in February '09 at 38 (see signature) with ER+/PR-/HER-2+ breast cancer, with a huge tumor showing on the MRI. I did 4 cycles of dose-dense AC, followed by 4 cycles of Taxotere, during which I took Tykerb daily. This was part of a clinical trial at Stanford. I then one cycle of Herceptin and had a bilateral mastectomy which showed that my 10x12 cm tumor disappeared completely. I had, however, small deposits of viable cells in about 11/13 nodes, with the largest focus being of 8 mm. Because of the leftover cells after my mastectomy, my oncologist added Xeloda (albeit at a low dose) during radiation. I had no side effects from the Xeloda, but the Tykerb gave me a skin rash (like a sunburn on my face) and some diarrhea (mild). Both were very easy to tolerate. Good luck and all the best to you! __________________ ER+ (30%)/PR-/HER-2+, stage 3 Diagnosed on 02/18/09 at 38 with a huge 12x10 cm tumor, after a 6 month delay. Told I was too young and had no risk factors. Found swollen node during breastfeeding. March-August 09: neo-adjuvant chemo, part of a trial at Stanford (4 DD A/C, 4 Taxotere with daily Tykerb), loading dose of Herceptin 08/12/09 - bye bye boobies (bilateral mastectomy) 08/24/09 - path report shows 100 % success in breast tissue (no cancer there, yay!), 98 % success in lymphatic invasion, and even though 11/13 nodes were still positive, > 95 % of the tumor in them was killed. Hoping for the best! September-October 09: rads with daily Xeloda 02/25/10 - Cholecystectomy 05/27/10 - Bone scan clear 06/14/10 - CT scan clear, ovarian cyst found 07/27/10 - Done with Herceptin! 02/15/11 - MVA-BN HER-2 vaccine trial 03/15/11 - First CA 15-3: 12.7 and normal, yay! 10/01/11 - Bone scan and CT scan clear, fatty liver found now on Tamoxifen and Aspirin