another interesting twist
there are papers showing treatment to decrease T regulatory cells enhances the efficacy of antiher2 vaccines (or vaccines against other breast cancer antigens)-- see papers by K.Knutson of Mayo Clinic
Actually decreasing T regulatory cells is said to be a good thing in breast cancer patients, as it helps the body recognize the breast cancer as something to be attacked. However, decreasing T regulatory cells can also
cause a patient to attack their own self-antigens CAUSING an autoimmune-like disease.
I have read that herceptin decreases T regulatory cells, but don't know by how much ie, what the risk of autoimmune like disease might be. But there are many people on this board who have been on herceptin for years and noone has listed that yet as a sideeffect, real or perceived, from herceptin (I started such a thread perhaps a year ago and it pops up intermittently)
We are only in the infancy of understanding of the immune system it seems
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