HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Request for a Christmas present for all!! A new roll call on Herceptin reimbursement

AlaskaAngel · 12-30-2005, 09:14 PM

With all due respect, I strongly differ with Ontario's conclusion that those who could benefit and who are not benefitting now are just a "small group", implying that this group should not be considered worth the effort to be included with authorization for use of Herceptin.

Ethically, about 20-25% of ALL breast cancer patients from years past (other than those already falling with the time-frame provided for under the ASCO recommendations) are also HER2-positive and could potentially benefit from treatment with Herceptin, even if they have not yet recurred.

This includes years of survivors who were never tested for HER2, years of patients who (like ME, for example) were tested but were never told what the results were, and years of patients who were tested and were incorrectly classified.

So in terms of those who potentially could/would still benefit from access to Herceptin for prevention of recurrence, the group is NOT small and is not confined to "early stage".

I will and do ask that others here acknowledge this fact, so that as a group we aren't helping to minimize opportunities for these patients, who are currently being prevented from documenting by clinical trial what their situation truly is.

AlaskaAngel

12-30-2005, 09:14 PM	#17
AlaskaAngel Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Alaska Posts: 2,018	ARE we a small group? With all due respect, I strongly differ with Ontario's conclusion that those who could benefit and who are not benefitting now are just a "small group", implying that this group should not be considered worth the effort to be included with authorization for use of Herceptin. Ethically, about 20-25% of ALL breast cancer patients from years past (other than those already falling with the time-frame provided for under the ASCO recommendations) are also HER2-positive and could potentially benefit from treatment with Herceptin, even if they have not yet recurred. This includes years of survivors who were never tested for HER2, years of patients who (like ME, for example) were tested but were never told what the results were, and years of patients who were tested and were incorrectly classified. So in terms of those who potentially could/would still benefit from access to Herceptin for prevention of recurrence, the group is NOT small and is not confined to "early stage". I will and do ask that others here acknowledge this fact, so that as a group we aren't helping to minimize opportunities for these patients, who are currently being prevented from documenting by clinical trial what their situation truly is. AlaskaAngel