Question for the pathology gurus...

[mts]

I have a girlfriend who recently recurred to the bones and liver after 6 years of doing just fine. She is having a liver biopsy next week. The onc wants to test the tumor for ER/PR and she will have a FISH also. So far, the onc only wants her to take Zometa...
She had ER+ , Her2- in the past.

Has anyone had the experience of "changing" ER or HER2 status from pos to neg or vice-versa ?

Is Zometa the standard med whilst one awaits path reults ?

Maria

[Lani]

VICE VERSA IS EXTREMELY RARE

I believe er- to + also much more rare than + to -.

THEY DON'T WANT TO POSSIBLY CHANGE THE RESULT OF THE BIOPSY BY GIVING ANY TREATMENT WHICH MAY INTERFERE WITH IDENTIFYING ITS TRUE NATURE/STATUS...ZOMETA SHOULDN'T DO THAT, AS FAR AS I HAVE READ, AND IT MAY PREVENT A BONE MET FROM GETTING BIG ENOUGH TO CAUSE A FRACTURE.

IT IS LIKE NOT STARTING ANTIBIOTICS UNTIL YOU HAVE A CULTURE--YOU DO IT IF IT IS NECESSARY TO SAVE A LIFE, BUT IF YOU GET CULTURES AFTER BEGINNING TREATMENT YOU MAY NEVER DETERMINE WHAT WAS THE CULPRIT IN ORDER TO GIVE THE BEST TREATMENT.

HOPE THIS HELPS