Femara after treatment for Her2+??

[vpfeiffer]

What do you guys know about Femara? I haven't read the 21 page description all the way through, but my onc told me today that he will likely give me Femara for approx. five years after my treatments are finished. The info i have so far on Femara says that it's for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. That sure doesn't sound like me??!! But I don't want to question him before I get info from all of you guys.

My situation is:
* December thru Mid-February - Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin weekly
* Single mastectomy March 4
* Weekly Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin starting March 17 through last week.
* This week and two more weeks Herceptin only
* Radiation for six weeks starting late June or mid-July
* 42 years old, pre-menopausal, physically fit


I know there are other drugs people are getting for several years after treatments are over, and that many women receive tamoxifen. But I also have learned that tamoxifen isn't recommended for ER/PR negative patients. I have also read about new drugs that Her2 patients are taking instead, but I can't remember what they are? Can anyone help me?

And I have great news...today and the next two weeks I will get Herceptin only (this was a VERY pleasant surprise!) and then I am done with chemo!! And my PET scan yesterday was perfectly clean! Life is good :-)

thanks!
Val

[Becky]

Femara is an aromatase inhibitor (others include Arimidex and Aromosin). They prevent estrogen from being made by the adrenal glands when a woman is postmenopausal (it can't prevent the ovaries from making estrogen if you aren't yet). These drugs are usually given to women who are ER/PR positive. However, I have heard of ER/PR negative women being given aromatase inhibitors or tamoxifen (studies show that tamoxifen may or may not work in HER 2 positive women. It depends on what you want to believe) because there are "theories" that the tissue surrounding the original tumor or "tumors in the making" are ER sensitive (and apparently all tumors or DCISs start ER positive and HER 2 positive then they morph again) and that these drugs MAY help ER/PR negative women too. I would ask your onco his rationale on taking the drug to get his perspective.

Best regards,
Becky

[Rozebud]

I'd ask more questions to your oncologist. Seems strange to have an AI if you are ER/PR-. The bigger issue is do NOT take an AI if you are still premenopausal! You have to be on zoladex or lupron shoots or have your ovaries out to have an AI, and you should be that way for months to make sure. If you are still ovulating, an AI can actually make things worse. This is per everything I've read and what my oncologist has told me. In fact she won't switch me from tamoxifen to and AI until I have been post menopausal (z shots) for at least a year (I'm 35).