Herceptin vs Tykerb...or alliance.

[Rich66]

Ok...if Tykerb is used when Herceptin "fails", has added her3 component..and is thought to cross the blood brain barrier (unlike Herceptin) to protect from brain mets and both are considered cancer stem cell weapons...

Is anyone pushing for Tykerb before or in combination with Herceptin from the get go?

I know there is the inherent chronology of drug development, trials and practice. But...imagine they popped onto the scene at the same time and you could choose one, the other or both.

I'm thinking out loud here that either the combo or Tykerb to start makes more sense.

[alicem]

I have been wondering that myself. I suspect this will take the route that Herceptin did in getting approved. First for advanced, then for early BC with pos. nodes, and then for those with neg. nodes. Kind of makes me wish they would try it out on every case at the same time. Is this drug in short supply like Herceptin was at the start?

[Joe]

There is a trial, I think it is called Allto (http://alttotrials.com/patients.php) to use Tykerb in the adjuvant setting.

Also, any oncologist can prescribe Herceptin and Tykerb together.

Regards
Joe

[Midwest Alice]

I ask at MDAnderson if I could be given Tykerb, being stage IV, to prevent mets for going to the brain. They said it wasn't being used for this at this time.

With the threat of the US going to government run health care I may be lucky to continue on Herceptin. The US may be heading to the ways of England. If so... it may get even harder to get Tykerb.

[Rob]

Try Breastcancer.org and search for "herceptin and tykerb synergism". Seems the combination is best.
Rob

[Laurel]

There are a few studies with Tykerb in the adjuvant setting for early Her2 + BC, but all the ones I looked at required a tumor size of 1cm or greater.

[bejuce]

I'm on a clinical trial at Stanford where I'm getting Tykerb before Herceptin. I started with 4 cycles of dose-dense AC (every two weeks), followed by 4 cycles of Taxotere at every three weeks with daily Tykerb (1250mg or 5 pills).

I'll have my last Taxotere in a couple of weeks and I'll take my first dose of Herceptin the same (next?) day I finish my last Tykerb pills. Then it's off to surgery. I'll be on Herceptin for a year.

I was glad to have found the trial at Stanford and to know that I'm getting a good combo of drugs from the get-go. I hope it works and more women will have access to it in the near future.

For those interested, here's a link to the trial:

http://med.stanford.edu/clinicaltrials/publicCancerDisplayDetails.do?studyId=136&age=adul

[Rich66]

Oh...forgot to mention the cardiac issue with Herceptin.

[tfabre]

The ALLTO study is to hopefully have Tykerb approved as a first line drug, just as Herceptin is now. They are hoping that it will be a better drug at preventing brain mets, since it is a smaller molecule that works from inside the cell. I was randomized into the group that would only get Tykerb and chemo, so I backed out. My kids were uneasy about me not getting the Herceptin. Now I am having second thoughts....this is driving me crazy!!! I would like to get both drugs.