[MJo]

I agree with the other ladies. I hope you can get lapatinib I read that some studies are giving lapatinib and Herceptin together, to intensify one another. As I understand it in my nonmedical, nonscientific thinking, Lapatinib gets inside the cancer cell and destroys both her2 and her1 proteins(?) Herceptin wraps around the outside of the cell and destroys Her2 only. I think of Herceptin as a leech, and lapatinib as a borer (I garden). I agree with touseled that Herceptin could be combined with different chemo. If I ever recur, I would expect my doctors to give me a combination of Tykerb and/or Herceptin with the most effective chemo drugs. I hope Canadian doctors have freedom to try different combinations. I hope you have a doctor who won't give up easily. Also, I read a study on Herceptin where some women had "full response" and some women had "partial response" If partial response means slowing down the cancer, I agree with you that it's some kind of success. Please keep the board informed on how you are doing and what your doctors decide to do.