When to test for Her2nu

[DonnaD]

Okay ladies, I need your help. I got a call from a friend who was diagnosed as DCIS. She had one lumpectomy and after pathology reports came back she will need another lumpectomy for clear margins. Is it standard procedure to test for Her2nue at this early stage? Her Dr. says no.
Donna

[Joe]

Donna,

Here are the latest HER2 Testing Guidelines (http://www.nccn.org/patients/fact_sheet.asp) < Click

The second paragraph states:

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) convened an expert task force after reports of HER2 testing problems encountered in clinical studies involving adjuvant breast cancer therapies.4 (http://www.nccn.org/patients/fact_sheet.asp#_edn4) The NCCN Task Force concluded that “accurate assignment of the HER2 status of invasive breast cancer is essential to clinical decision making in the treatment of breast cancer in both adjuvant (early stage) and metastatic settings.”



Regards
Joe

[suzan w]

good to know!

[Becky]

As many of you know, I had an invasive Her2+, ER+ (50%) but pr neg tumor in my right breast and simultaneously had a dcis in my left breast at the same time. My dcis was 50% Er+ and 30% Pr+. It was not Her 2 tested. I was told it is not done on dcis. When I asked it be done, there was not enough tumor to do it. It was 3 mm to start with and I had slides made for Sloan Kettering (a second pathology opinion) and there was nothing left. Sloan Kettering also did not run Her2 on the dcis tumor but they confirmed the invasive side.

At the time, you really don't know what's what. (For example, I was told that the dcis wasn't even considered cancer but it is Stage 0 cancer). Its easy to make mistakes in the beginning yet the beginning is where its important to do everything right.

[DonnaD]

Thanks Joe and Becky. Like Becky said in the beginning is the time to get things right.

Donna

[Mary Anne in TX]

Hey Donna!
Her doc. is nuts!
She may have an unimformed doc, but she has a terrific friend!!!
ma