EXTREMELY INTERESTING..
Many of my sisters who know me remember how hard I had to fight to get herceptin back in the day...at that time there was much to do about early treatment and was that treatment to much for a small tumor node negative.
As many of you know I am a firm believer in doing all I could to prevent recurrence. Well this article truly hit home for me.
"The researchers had previously shown HER2 plays an important role in cancer stem cells - the small number of cells in a tumor that fuel its growth and spread. These cells represent 1 percent to 5 percent of all the cells in a tumor. They are resistant to current
chemotherapy and radiation treatments - but since they express HER2, they are effectively targeted by Herceptin.
This is exactly what Dr. Salmon was stating to me back in 2005 before Herceptin was cleared and approved by the FDA. That a tiny tumor was to be taken as seriously as any tumor. Of course having a dx. early is always good but that doesn't mean it should be treated less seriously.
Also:
"We have shown that the bone microenvironment induces HER2 expression in these tumors. If Herceptin can target bone micrometastases, then administering it to patients before metastases develop could help reduce tumor recurrence," says study author Hasan Korkaya, Ph.D., research assistant professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School.
I am hoping that we will see data coming (in a few years) of those women who were treated early with Her2 and that it will show less recurrence stats.
Great Study link is below.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256927.php
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