Tamoxifen - an analogy to Herceptin....

[lauren]

I asked my onc for like the millionth time if I should stay on Herceptin for more than a year. She told me for the millionth time that there is no evidence that staying on it is better than stopping it after a year. SOoooooooo, I asked the Sixty Thousand Dollar Question: So, then what is the harm of STAYING on it???

Her answer was intriguing to me. She told me that they don't KNOW what the harm is. And then she gave me an example of an early Tamoxifen study. It showed that women who took Tamox for MORE than five years started to show a diminished survival rate, as compared to those who took it for five years. It seems that after five years, the Tamox started to STIMULATE cancer growth.

Food for thought.

[Christine]

Unfortunately Herceptin has only been approved for 5 1/2 years. I have been on it since August 1999. I just had my first scans in 4 years today.. So I'll post the results as soon as I get them.

Hugs
Christine

[lauren]

wow. I had no idea that herceptin actually was only approved for 5 1/2 years. Do they have any data that it is harmful after that? Or is it just an unknown?

[Anonymous]

I have been told that Herceptin has only been approved for women who are Stage IV because of the cost. The early stage studies are to prove to the FDA that it is effective for women who are earlier stage. I have also been told that the results of the early stage studies will be available in 2006. I don't know this to be a fact, that's just what my doctor's office is telling me.