[RobinP]

Becky, thanks for the speedy supportive reply. I knew I could count on you for a calm, rational, and smart response. Sigh, you;re right that we don't have all the information from this article to gather meaningful conclusions at this point. You're also right that aggressive surgical and adjuvant treatments do help decrease rates of relapse, as well as longer NED, beyond the first two years since treatment.

In particular I , too, believe that having had Herceptin improves the prognostic stats. Perhaps this was a study group mentioned in the article didn't have herceptin, or even chemo and adequate surgical clearance. We just don't know and will have to wait until the abstract comes out to see.

You're also right that most her2 relapses happen in the first few years. Unfortunately, no one really knows that long term stat relapse for her2 yet. Let's just hope, the longer out, the better for prognosis. I do know that after five years out, all receptor negative breast cancer relapses less and most her2+ are hormonal negative. That is something positive to keep in mind for those who are her2 and er,pr negative. However, even for those who are her2+ and hormonal positive, it appears that longer out, the less relapse in general.

Yes, Becky, the her2 bc article did upset me. But. I will try to remember what you stated, "that the old adage "worse prognosis" is prior to Herceptin and even without Herceptin, many women never recur with or without chemotherapy. " __________________

Thanks, Becky, and Have a nice day! I love your support; really you are a gem and great bc friend.Thanks for being my am Prozac- ha, ha.