|
Good Point Patty...I just want to re-emphasize
Al's point...with any mets and especially BRAIN mets, the name of the game is reducing OVERALL tumor burden...if the person is significantly her-2 positive, Herceptin's role in facilitating the reduction of overall tumor burden can not be underestimated. What I think is bad is when oncs suspend Herceptin therapy in order to do "MORE ELABORATE" brain treatments which often can result as Patty's post so well illustrates in reduction or even removal of the brain mets at the expense of the person's general health and often results in loss of life from other causes far removed from the initial "brain mets" issue.
If for reasons beyond your control, your herceptin must be suspended or interupted during brain met treatment, be sure to at the very least watch your tumor markers...we have a case on this very board where both the CA 27/29 and serum her-2 increased significantly when the Herceptin was interrupted to aggressively go after Brain mets...Fortunately, however, lost ground can be recovered when the Herceptin is restarted..especially if it is restarted at the higher re-loading dose, but most oncs don't have a clue about stuff like this. It is YOUR BRAIN and YOUR BODY..smile...they are NOT separate, despite what Descartes would have us THINK that therefore we are...smile.
Gina
|