HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Herceptin

06-13-2005, 03:11 PM

Cynthia:
To date, I have had two onc. opinions regarding this subject. My onc. did not recommend herceptin. I'm almost two years out from chemo. She said the NCI only recommends it for people who have finished chemo less than 6 months or who are just being diagnosed.
I went to the James Cancer Institute at Ohio State Univ. where they ran herceptin trials. The onc. said based on my age (41), tumor size of 3.3 cm, 1 node positive and Her 2 status of 3+, she would recommend the drug for me. There is no evidence it wil or will not help someone in our situation. I am going to seek a third opinion which I hope will help me make a decision, however, my gut instinct tells me to go for it. If it buys me some time of NED, hopefully there will be more information in the years to come as well as new drugs that will help us. I feel I have a better chance if I can keep the cancer from coming back at all. Just my feeling. It is such a difficult situation to be in and I contemplate what to do each and every day.

06-13-2005, 03:11 PM	#5
Joannie Guest Posts: n/a	Cynthia: To date, I have had two onc. opinions regarding this subject. My onc. did not recommend herceptin. I'm almost two years out from chemo. She said the NCI only recommends it for people who have finished chemo less than 6 months or who are just being diagnosed. I went to the James Cancer Institute at Ohio State Univ. where they ran herceptin trials. The onc. said based on my age (41), tumor size of 3.3 cm, 1 node positive and Her 2 status of 3+, she would recommend the drug for me. There is no evidence it wil or will not help someone in our situation. I am going to seek a third opinion which I hope will help me make a decision, however, my gut instinct tells me to go for it. If it buys me some time of NED, hopefully there will be more information in the years to come as well as new drugs that will help us. I feel I have a better chance if I can keep the cancer from coming back at all. Just my feeling. It is such a difficult situation to be in and I contemplate what to do each and every day.