HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Should I have had AC with my Her2/Neu status?

Lani · 04-23-2006, 05:05 PM

The latest opinion of how things are/should be evolving I heard from Dr. Slamon in San Antonio was, if things continued to look like TCH results were as just about good as AC+T results as the studies matured (went on longer), then the future may hold that patients get tested for TOPO IIa and ONLY those who have it get AC at all! (to decrease chances of cardiotoxicity by only giving anthracyclines to those patients who really need it and can benefit from it)

If you are the type of person who will always stay up nights wondering if you should have had an anthracycline, you could pay $190 or so and have your tumor sent to Targeted Molecular Diagnostics for a Topo II test. But you have to ask yourself, how you would feel with the results if they went either way-- If it is negative, you can be happy you were spared the toxicities of an anthracycline; if it is positive, it still doesn't be TCH isn't enough for you--noone knows.

We are all in the middle of one of the biggest experiments done in the history of mankind-- hundreds of thousands of women are having their results on different treatments examined and tabulated to see what seems to be working best and to dissect out the different subtypes of breast cancer that behave differently and need different treatment--but those who are her2+ have REALLY BENEFITTED FROM THIS EXPERIMENT.

There are no answers. There will always be risks. You have to decide for yourself. It is always good to question. Information is your ammunition.
If you look backward too often it may just haunt you and keep you from using your energy to get the best information to prepare you for the future.

Good luck!

04-23-2006, 05:05 PM	#8
Lani Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4,783	TCH vs. AC+T The latest opinion of how things are/should be evolving I heard from Dr. Slamon in San Antonio was, if things continued to look like TCH results were as just about good as AC+T results as the studies matured (went on longer), then the future may hold that patients get tested for TOPO IIa and ONLY those who have it get AC at all! (to decrease chances of cardiotoxicity by only giving anthracyclines to those patients who really need it and can benefit from it) If you are the type of person who will always stay up nights wondering if you should have had an anthracycline, you could pay $190 or so and have your tumor sent to Targeted Molecular Diagnostics for a Topo II test. But you have to ask yourself, how you would feel with the results if they went either way-- If it is negative, you can be happy you were spared the toxicities of an anthracycline; if it is positive, it still doesn't be TCH isn't enough for you--noone knows. We are all in the middle of one of the biggest experiments done in the history of mankind-- hundreds of thousands of women are having their results on different treatments examined and tabulated to see what seems to be working best and to dissect out the different subtypes of breast cancer that behave differently and need different treatment--but those who are her2+ have REALLY BENEFITTED FROM THIS EXPERIMENT. There are no answers. There will always be risks. You have to decide for yourself. It is always good to question. Information is your ammunition. If you look backward too often it may just haunt you and keep you from using your energy to get the best information to prepare you for the future. Good luck!