Just want to help clarify...
A
recurrence can be LOCAL
or DISTAL
A DISTAL recurrence is considered
metastasis - this is Stage IV disease.
This disease can be really unpredictable & unfortunately, it is possible to have a distal recurrence (mets to bone, lung, liver or brain)
w/o a local recurrence.
You'll find stories here of women dx'd w/Early stage disease, completed all treatments(surgery, chemo, rads), only later to discover mets elsewhere.
Also, it may be a matter or semantics, but I would consider Herceptin successful if even just slowing or controlling disease, not necessarily just preventing progression.
I've had multiple (
) recurrences while on Herceptin. From Stage IV@ primary dx, to NED & herceptin only, then single met recurrence in liver, then 2 new malignancies @the site of original, after lumpectomy & excisional biopsy. BUT I've always liked to think that Herceptin was helping
control the disease.
Herceptin itself is still too "new" a drug to have true LONG TERM data on the full range of it effects. Regardless, Thank God w/Tykerb we do have another wonderful drug on the shelf!
Keep the Faith~