|
01-22-2009, 10:16 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 96
|
Suspension of herceptin during radiation, please advice
hi,
I am starting my cobalt radiation next week, my oncologist wants to stop the herceptin during these 6 weeks of rads and then resume afterwards. Is it ok? please advice. Can herceptin be stopped this way and then resumed later on? I have finished 5 cycles of herceptin. please advice. thanks so much
love
christie
|
|
|
01-23-2009, 09:25 AM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Northern California
Posts: 764
|
Hi Christie,
I did not have to stop herceptin during radiation. I have had radiation twice and both times I was given herceptin straight through. Has your dr given you a reason to stop?
Tonya
__________________
DX 02/01/07
2.5 cm, Er/Pr-, Her2+++
18/20 Nodes
03/07 CT & Bone scan - Clear
AC x 4, Taxol x 4, Added Herceptin
Radiation until 09/07
Herceptin every 3 weeks until 06/08
01/10/08 local recurrence -IBC
01/28/08 CT & Brain MRI - clear
02/08 - Navelbine & Herceptin
05/08 -MRM
05/08 - Gemzar & Herceptin - didn't work
09/08 - Hyperthermia rads
03/09 - Tykerb/Xeloda
05/10 - Tram flap to fix wound
|
|
|
01-23-2009, 09:29 AM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 38
|
I didn't stop Herceptin treatment during radiation. However, I don't know if the type of radiation I had was cobalt. Maybe that's standard radiation but I never knew.
Bonnie
|
|
|
01-23-2009, 10:07 AM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,486
|
Glad to hear from you Christie,
I did not stop Herceptin during radiation either. I had my Herceptin weekly at the time or radiation. I did not have cobalt radiation.
Amelia
|
|
|
01-23-2009, 12:34 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,851
|
Christie,
Radiation and Herceptin go well together, but I didn't ahve cobalt radiation and perhaps that requires you to stop taking Herceptin.
Good luck with your treatment!
Joan
__________________
Diagnosed stage 2b in July 2003 (2.3 cm, HER2+, ER-/PR-, 7+ nodes). Treated with mastectomy (with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction), AC + T/Herceptin (off label). Cancer advanced to lung in Jan. 2007 (1 cm nodule). Started Herceptin every 3 weeks. Lung wedge resection April 2007. Cancer recurred in lung April 2008. RFA of lung in August 2008. 2nd annual brain MRI in Oct. 2008 discovered 2.6 cm cystic tumor in left frontal lobe. Craniotomy Oct. 2008 (ER-/PR-/HER2-) followed by targeted radiation (IMRT). Coughing up blood Feb. 2009. Thoractomy July 2009 to cut out fungal ball of common soil fungus (aspergillus) that grew in the RFA cavity (most likely inhaled while gardening). No cancer, only fungus. Removal of tiny melanoma from upper left arm, plus sentinel lymph node biopsy in Feb. 2016. Guardant Health liquid biopsy in Feb. 2016 showed mutations in 4 subtypes of TP53. Repeat of Guardant Health biopsy in Jana. 2021 showed 3 TP53 mutations, BRCA1 mutation and CHEK2 mutation. Invitae genetic testing showed negative for all of these. Living with MBC since 2007. Stopped Herceptin Hylecta (injection) treatment in March 2020. Recent 2021 annual CT of chest, abdomen and pelvis and annual brain MRI showed NED. Praying for NED forever!!
|
|
|
01-23-2009, 06:30 PM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Stockton, NJ
Posts: 4,179
|
http://www.yana.org/herceptininteractions.htm
Attached is a paper that shows the synergy of Herceptin with chemo. At the bottom of the chart states Herceptin is HIGHLY synergistic with radiation. This article should help you in your fight to continue Herceptin through your radiation treatments.
__________________
Kind regards
Becky
Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia
NED 18 years!
Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
|
|
|
01-23-2009, 09:58 PM
|
#7
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 2,077
|
Hi Christie! Nicola had to halt chemo. during her rads., but always continued her Herceptin. Some chemotherapies intensify the radiation treatments, that's why they halt them during radiation, but Herceptin can continue. Maybe check again with your doc. Thanks for keeping in touch.
__________________
For Nicola
|
|
|
01-24-2009, 01:38 AM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 96
|
hi
thanks to all of you for writing in. i will ask my onc once more as to why he is stopping my herceptin, maybe its because i am on cobalt radiation, but its better to check it out once more.. Is there a problem if herceptin is stopped for 6 weeks? please tell me about that. thanks.
|
|
|
01-24-2009, 03:09 AM
|
#9
|
Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 12
|
Hi Christie
just wanted to say to you that I had to stop herceptin as I was having it with pre-surgery chemo, so when I had surgery they stopped all treatments for about 4-5 weeks, inc herceptin, which I then resumed after the surgery to complete a year of it.
I did not interrupt it through radiotherapy though.
Let us know what your drs say about it.
|
|
|
01-24-2009, 05:33 AM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Bergenfield, NJ
Posts: 121
|
Hi Christie,
I didn't have to stop Herceptin during my WBRT. I had it on a weekly basis but Gemzar was stopped during the WBRT.
Maybe it's different with cobalt.
Keep us updated.
Hugs,
Gemma
__________________
My love to you all
Gemma
____________________________________
Dx July03 at 35
Rt,breast lump.,1 node+
ER+(98%)ER-, grade3
A/C 4rounds,Rad for 38 days
Tamoxifen 2004-05
Recurrence Feb.2006, radi double mastectomy canceled bec. of mets, StageIV lungs mets
Her2+++, BRCA negative
Taxol/Herceptin six rounds of Taxol from April06.then Herceptin alone til May07. Started Tykerb/Xeloda in Jun07-Sept.07 bec of progression of the lympnodes. Navalbine/Herceptin Sept.07 to April 08 due to progression . Gemzar/Hercptin Apr08.June08 Brain MRI showed Brain Mets.CraniectomyAug.1,08, tumor removed completely
completed 20 wbrt!
Started Doxil 10/31/08 (monthly) and weekly Herceptin
Ixempra on 2/13/09
due to multiple hepatic mets
will have Herceptin as well.
Radical rt.breast Mastectomy June2009.
Ixempra/Herceptin 11/06/09--increasing right axillary lymphanenopathy and enlarging left upper lobe nodule :-(
Taxotere/Herceptin 3/5/10,more liver mets, lungs, lymphnodes. 2 weeks on, one week off...
|
|
|
01-24-2009, 09:08 AM
|
#11
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Scottsdale,AZ
Posts: 43
|
Christie, I didn't stop Herceptin with my first round of radiation for skin mets, but I had to stop with the 2nd round in which I also had hyperthermia tx. My personal opinion is that I shouldn't have stopped H because I had progression outside of the radiation area. Thank goodness it's clearing up with Abraxane. I didn't have cobalt either.
~Barb
|
|
|
01-24-2009, 03:01 PM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Stockton, NJ
Posts: 4,179
|
Dear Christie
If you have no choice and your doctor stops the Herceptin during rads, you might have to have the loading dose again when you start back up. I am not sure about this though but it is food for thought because you might.
__________________
Kind regards
Becky
Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia
NED 18 years!
Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
|
|
|
01-24-2009, 05:25 PM
|
#13
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Haarlem, the Netherlands
Posts: 835
|
Hmm. that's a tough decision. Perhaps, if your onc won't listen to you, you can keep in mind that I never got herceptin at all and am doing ok 5 years later. So if you have to stop, you've already had quite a bit of herceptin, and you will get more later.
But it seems as if you should be able to get herceptin during rads, so go and fight for that.
Love
Jacqueline
PS. How are you doing with chemo?
__________________
Diagnosed age 44, January 2004, 0.7 cm IDC & DCIS. Stage 1, grade 3, ER/PR pos. HER2 pos. clear margins, no nodes. SNB. 35 rads. On Zoladex and Armidex since Dec. 2004. Stopped Zoladex/Arimidex sept 2009 Still taking mistletoe shots (CAM therapy) Doing fine.
|
|
|
01-25-2009, 05:08 PM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Cordoba, Mexico
Posts: 672
|
Christi,
Any news on why do you have to stop Herceptin? I received chemo first and then radiation, after that came Herceptin for a year. I could not stand the combination chemo-Herceptin, so my doctor had to wait till I finished everything to re-start with Herceptin. So far seems like I am doing fine. I will have my 3-month check up this coming February, I am getting anxious. Best of luck,
Paty
__________________
Dx. June 30th, 2006 at age 43
Lumpectomy rt breast
2.2 cm tumor, 13 nodes all negative
ER-PR+,her2+++
6 FAC
32 Rads
Dx. Lung fibrosis due to radiation
Ended 1 year herceptin in March, 2008
|
|
|
01-25-2009, 08:41 PM
|
#15
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: southern california
Posts: 287
|
I had chemo which included Herceptin before surgery. I had to stop all treatemnt before surgery and then after surgery I started Herceptin and Radiation. I continued Herceptin until it affected my heart function. I am now 3 years out of treatment and I'm doing great. My surgeon told me that they did not know if Herceptin would increase any problems with blood clotting factors at the time of surgery and it would be best to not have it during that time. I think that there is just so much that they don't know that they don't want to take a chance. All I know is that being off Herceptin and then going back on did not seem to be a risk or a problem.
Alice
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:14 AM.
|