Should I stop Herceptin?

jener8er · 04-17-2006, 05:06 PM

Hi everyone, I hope you all can give me some words of wisdom here. I have been getting Herceptin since January 05. When it was going to be a year this past January, I asked my onc for another year. After reviewing my chart, he said he could see no reason to stop so sure, take it for another year. Well, now the insurance bills are starting to roll in and it is killing me. I have a PPO with $1000 deductible (which was met weeks ago) after which I am responsible for 25% of all procedures. That is coming out @ $622 per dose, which adds up pretty quick getting treatments every 3 weeks. Add to that the PET scan, bone scan, brain MRI, mammos and then reconstruction, I think I'm going to go bankrupt!

So my question is, am I being overly cautious with this 2nd year and should I stop the Herceptin? I don't mind doing it, and I like to see my doc every 3 weeks, but it might be nice to take a break too. Could I take some time off and go back on it later in the year? Or am I tempting fate??? Decisions decisions... why are they never black or white?!

Becky · 04-17-2006, 05:24 PM

Dear Jen

It will not be a benefit to you to stop Herceptin and then start back up again in several months (unless there was a problem with your heart). That said, you need to weigh continuing or stopping for good.

My year of herceptin is up in mid June but my onc is going to keep me on another 5 doses (I get the triple dose every 3 weeks) because those extra 5 will take me to 2 years post diagnosis. He says that this "could" be wise as more recurrences occur within the first 2 years. Since I started Herceptin 4 months after my last chemo (I was one to benefit from last year's ASCO meeting announcements), it isn't that many more treatments to get me to 2 yrs post diagnosis. Without the results of 1yr herceptin versus 2yrs herceptin, my onc is very,very relucant to go further.

Also, there was a Finnish study that eluded to the fact that 9 weeks of Herceptin can be just as good as one year.

However, this is for you to decide as there are not results for or against more than one year of Herceptin.

You need to judge this with your doctor on what is medically sound and why he thinks 2 yrs is better than one year. I realize money is a factor but you cannot base it on that (after all, you are priceless) and base it on your doctor's opinion and your opinion.

Good luck. It's difficult because there are no 2 year results yet.

Kindest regards

Becky

Lisa · 04-17-2006, 09:40 PM

I don't have a recommendation re: continuing Herceptin. I just wanted to vent my frustration that these enourmous costs are all too frequently the deciding factor in the treatment of all cancers.

O.K., now that I've said that, I hope your intuition leads you in the right direction.

Love and light,

Lisa

saleboat · 04-18-2006, 07:53 AM

Hi Jen,

I had Stage IIIC bc, and will finish my year of Herceptin in August. I do not plan to get an additional year, and I know that my Onc would never give it to me. There is no evidence to suggest that it would help, and could possibly do damage to my heart. There is evidence to suggest that a shorter course would be appropriate, and hopefully the two year study will be out soon.

I cannot put myself in your shoes, but for myself, I half wish I could get less Herceptin-- my MUGA is dropping and that really bums me out. If the disease were to progress, I hate to think that my heart would have sustained too much damage to try another round of drugs.

I understand the motivation to try and do everything that you can. Have you considered one of the vaccine studies? I am looking forward to ending Herceptin so that I can enroll in one-- early-stage patients who are on Herceptin are NOT eligible.

Good luck with your decision.

Jen

Taffy · 04-18-2006, 08:10 AM

Can I just ask you what Stage 3c is please? I have heard of Stage 3 obviously, I am that stage myself, but wondered what the c stood for.

love
Taffy

Lolly · 04-18-2006, 08:26 AM

Taffy, just jumping in here to give you a link to the American Cancer Society's page on staging; it provides an explanation of how to differentiate between Stage IIIA, IIIB and IIIC.

ACS: How Is Breast Cancer Staged?
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/co...5.asp?sitearea=