I guess it's our turn now...

[Helen]

You and your Mom are in my thoughts and prayers.

Best Wishes,
Helen

[Jean]

Tom,
Sorry to hear the news of your Mom. I will keep her in my prayers.


Lani,
As you mentioned - knowledge is power - no need to react or panic
with new information - lets use it to empower us!

Thank you Lani,
Jean

[Lani]

I wouldn't take this as gospel, just a preliminary study on far too few people with far too many different backgrounds (type of her2 ie E+ vsa E-, types of previous treatments/subsequent treatments), types of chemo, endocrine therapy. but as it is open access you might want to read it in its entirety:

OPEN ACCESS: Outcome of Patients with HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer Progressing During Trastuzumab-Based Therapy [The Oncologist; Subscribe; Sample]
We sought to describe patterns of treatment and clinical outcome in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer progressing on trastuzumab-based therapy. One hundred eighty-four consecutive HER2-positive advanced breast cancer patients received trastuzumab-based therapy between September 1999 and September 2004. Patients were followed up until death or May 2005. For patients progressing on trastuzumab-based therapy, we calculated the response rate (RR) to the first post-progression treatment, overall survival (OS) from the first administration of trastuzumab, time to second progression (TT-SP), and post-progression survival (PPS), according to treatment. At the time of this analysis, 132 patients had progressed on trastuzumab-based therapy, and 89 had died. Of the progressing patients, 21 experienced rapid progression and could not receive additional anticancer treatments;40 patients continued trastuzumab either alone (12 patients with isolated central nervous system progression), with chemotherapy (23 patients), or with endocrine therapy (5 patients); and 71 stopped trastuzumab and received chemotherapy (61 patients) or endocrine therapy (10 patients) as the first post-progression treatment. Excluding patients with rapid progression, clinical outcomes were similar whether trastuzumab was continued or not, in terms of RR (18% and 27%, respectively), OS (31 and 30 months, respectively), TT-SP (6 and 7 months, respectively), and PPS (21 and 19 months, respectively). The clinical outcome of patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer progressing during trastuzumab-based therapy might not be influenced by continuing trastuzumab. The optimal therapeutic strategy in this setting of patients needs evaluation in randomized trials.

I may post this separately for others to think about...

Bottom line: they don't know!

[Lyn]

Hi Tom, I know how devestated you are feeling, I would get another oncologist, this one is working against you and not with you. I had an X-Ray on my knee tibia today, I fell nearly 3 weeks ago and my leg was now aching through the morphine and rest of my pain relief, I was convinced I had fractured it with the radiating pain seeming to get worse, last time I just fell up against the wall and broke my collar bone, but no fracture or anything else this time I have to take more pain relief, same here gone from just problems with lymph glands to cerebal fluid in the spinal chord forming tumours and this came about by stopping the eostrogen blocker, I feel maybe I am not as bad as the surgeon says, no one seems know how the Herceptin works or mutates cells in each individual, we all seem to be unique, age is of no consequence when it comes to treating a human being so a new onc and fast.


Love & Hugs Lyn

[rinaina]

Don't know what zeloda is. Could someone tell me please. thank you.

rina

[MCS]

I am sorry to hear about progression. I remember reading your long details of flaxseed when I first joined the page. Actually I bought it based upon your recommendations. She's lucky to have you as care giver.No need to apolyze for your mom's age. She is your mother. My own dad has been diagnosed with lung cancer, barely 4 moths after my dx of breast cancer. he's 87 and and has had rads only since he decided against chemo. he's holding his own. it's tough here

she sounds like a real strong gal though. is hard to take this stuff at 82.

keep positive. the answers will come.

XO

MCS ( maria)