HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - FDA officially yanks Avastin for breast cancer

Ellie F · 11-24-2011, 07:39 AM

Totally agree. It seems we have this difficulty with virtually every drug.
At present the fight goes on to get T-DM1 approved both in the States and then in Europe but the problem remains that it's unclear which sub-group of patients will benefit from this also. Sometimes it feels like a pick and mix of trying different regimes in the hope of hitting on the right combo! My onc frequently reminds me that all tumours are individual as are all immune responses. Granted small early tumours usually do better but not always and the reverse is also true that some women with large tumours survive seemingly against the odds.
We also have an efficient targeted drug in herceptin but we are still a long way away from understanding why and how resistence occurs.
Sorry for the rant but sometimes it feels we have a long way to go.
Ellie

11-24-2011, 07:39 AM	#11
Ellie F Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,526	Re: FDA officially yanks Avastin for breast cancer Totally agree. It seems we have this difficulty with virtually every drug. At present the fight goes on to get T-DM1 approved both in the States and then in Europe but the problem remains that it's unclear which sub-group of patients will benefit from this also. Sometimes it feels like a pick and mix of trying different regimes in the hope of hitting on the right combo! My onc frequently reminds me that all tumours are individual as are all immune responses. Granted small early tumours usually do better but not always and the reverse is also true that some women with large tumours survive seemingly against the odds. We also have an efficient targeted drug in herceptin but we are still a long way away from understanding why and how resistence occurs. Sorry for the rant but sometimes it feels we have a long way to go. Ellie