The HER2 Support Group in cooperation with Leksell (Gamma Knife) and the CINN Foundation produced a paper on CNS tumors that we distributed at the 2006 ASCO meeting in Atlanta.
It was peer reviewed by both Dr. Eric Winer and Dr. Keith Black and meant to inform both patient and practitioner on the treatment of brain mets:
http://www.her2support.org/paper.pdf
More effective treatments are leading to longer survival rates for all breast cancers. Unfortunately most of these treatments do not cross the blood brain barrier. As a result the incidence of CNS tumors is rising and unfortunately women who are HER2 have a greater propensity to develop these tumors. Recent studies have shown that as many as 40% of HER2 positive women will develop brain mets. Also frightening is a study presented at San Antonio several years ago that of all women who are HER2 positive who develop brain tumors, 10% develop cns tumors as their initial metasthesis. NO PRIOR WARNING.
We must therefore press for routine Brain MRI's for women who are HER2 positive.
Another warning, although we are passionate about the usefulness of the Serum HER2 test, this test will not detect cns tumors.
Regards
Joe