Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
 

Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/canc...wsItemId=44263

Re: Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
 

Thanks Elaine , I wonder if this applies to DCIS?
Many women are still not tested when they're dcis and it may well make a difference in the future I think.

Re: Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
 

I seem to remember that there's a relatively high percentage of DCIS that's HER2 positive. Yet many DCIS's don't turn into cancer. Hmm.

Jacqueline

Re: Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
 

Elaine, i fit the bill on this one, 7mm tumor, node neg, then recurrance in 1 1/2 yrs. Interesting...but then Herceptin was not approved for early stage way back then....That I believe would have made a difference!

Re: Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
 

50% of all DCIS starts as Her2+ but only about 20% remain so as invasive cancer.

Re: Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
 

Maybe getting clear margins during surgery has something to do with it. If the surgeon doesn't get every single cancer cell out during the surgery it might be able to reproduce even if radiation and/or chemo are offerred to the patient.

Re: Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
 

I had quite a long discussion about this with my oncologist when I had a recurrence in 2005. My tumor was HER2 +++, ER/PR +, 0.7CM. He said that women like me fell into a gray area and he didn't want to give chemo in order to give me Herceptin because he thought the risks outweighed the benefits. I am on Arimidex and doing great. This is just another bullet in the breast cancer arsenal for women who test + for HER2.