['lizbeth]

Lani,

You are certainly passionate about the marrow. I'm just looking at the whole situation from another angle.

Herceptin is already in clinical trials for lower expressors. So the participants in the Herceptin/E75 trial will already receive this benefit.

It appears to me that George People's has already taken the concept one step further and added a second way to prevent recurrence. I admire his & his colleagues' work. I truly see dedicated doctors and scientist working to find a way for the immune system to handle the prevention of mets.

My concern is that instead of working together to advance the treatment for us, the Her2+++ patients, there will be a mad dash to be the first one to the market for lower expressors. I already saw that on one company's website. I also saw the long list of companies behind Max Wicha's name who he financial benefits from.

Yes, I already figure out myself that my cancer was using my immune system to evade destruction. And since many of these cells are produced in the marrow, it only makes sense that cancer affected cells are there. So the concept is not new to me.

But I also know that WBCs can pretty much go anywhere in the body. Which is an incredible survival tool. Even if we can find evidence of the cancer in the marrow, I suspect the cells can go into the nervous system to evade destruction. Hence, the spinal mets and brain mets.

While I applaud the work. I feel instinctively that there is a better answer than the bone marrow.

I also am skeptical about cancer as just a genetic malfunction. It seems to have too much intelligence, a great ability to thrive and adapt.

Lani, my intuition is telling me that there is a better answer to stopping cancer. The bone marrow sounds promising, but I feel cancer can outwit that treatment.

Honestly, even with the current amazing treatments that have come out. And the current ideas of slowing or stopping cancer in clinical trials - these are just a small step toward conquering this disease.

The lower expressor market is larger, so I see the emphasis on her2 treatment heading there. I can only hope that future clinical trials will have an arm for folks like me, the higher expressor of her2.

I also know that a friend who is receiving a PARP inhibitor said that she was lucky to get in the trial as the market for that treatment was too small for it to be economically viable.

Our current cancer research system isn't set up for these small markets. As treatment becomes more personalized - does this mean those with markers that are more rare are just shit out of luck? As a cancer survivor that concerns me. I've benefited from the enormous amounts of funding that chased after the Her2+++. Now I see myself moving into the minority, and it is an "oh shit" moment.