Herceptin every 2 weeks anyone?

mts · 10-05-2005, 08:59 AM

I have read many herceptin takers receiving the drug every week or every three weeks.

Anyone taking Herceptin w/out a taxane every other week? I am.

Maria

RhondaH · 10-05-2005, 09:27 AM

Actually my nurse recommended I try that if my side effects didn't go away (which now they seem to have). She says there is a 2 week regimen also. Good luck.

Rhonda Hoffman

Gina · 10-06-2005, 10:33 AM

Yes, this is quite common in some practices. One of my her-2 friends is doing it now. I have even taken Herceptin once every 6 weeks for over a year and 8 months...The best thing to do is to see how much Herceptin your body needs by keeping up with your CA 27/29 and Serum Her-2 tumor markers and then adjust the dose and frequencies to just the amount you, PERSONALLY, need to keep the CA 27/29 below 10 and the Serum Her-12 under 12... Of course, I have gotten SO MANY sad stories back from folks on the boards about their ONCs not even "believing" in tumor markers much less using them that I am continually dismayed... Years of evidence proves that at least in some her-2 patients, the markers can be an inexpensive and highly effective way to monitor this difficult illness. The model I try to put out there is the "canceretic model" that means we should try to follow the Diabetic model and use the tumor markers similarly to the way folks with diabetes use their blood sugar counts and then treat with the necessary amount of herceptin like we adjust the synthetic insulin...wish this would catch on as it can make SUCH an amazing improvement in quality of life and being NED forEVER..smile...which is our goal...smile

Good luck to you,
Gina