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Emmay · 07-11-2006, 08:36 PM

Thanks, Cathya, for the suggestion of herceptin being possibly injected directly to the brain. I had seen an abstract about that procedure being tried with one patient in Europe. I asked my sister's oncologist about it, and he said that since a fair number of her brain mets have not been close to the surface, it was dubious how much the herceptin could penetrate to be effective. And my understanding is the blood-brain barrier is throughout the brain tissue, not just a surface membrane that can sometimes be breached.

Since my sister has already had two craniotomies, we don't take the idea of another surgery lightly. I so wish Herceptin was more bioavailable to the brain tissue. She tried the Lapatinib (now called Tykerb) trial last year, but it didn't work for her. That said, she's had Gamma Knife and 3 rounds of CyberKnife treatments, and each time the new small mets have been arrested. She has been through so much, but thank God she is here, her personality still very much my sister, and her memory is often better than mine (it's her short-term memory that's been more noticeably effected...but then too, after age 45, whose hasn't?).

07-11-2006, 08:36 PM	#8
Emmay Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 66	Thanks, Cathya, for the suggestion of herceptin being possibly injected directly to the brain. I had seen an abstract about that procedure being tried with one patient in Europe. I asked my sister's oncologist about it, and he said that since a fair number of her brain mets have not been close to the surface, it was dubious how much the herceptin could penetrate to be effective. And my understanding is the blood-brain barrier is throughout the brain tissue, not just a surface membrane that can sometimes be breached. Since my sister has already had two craniotomies, we don't take the idea of another surgery lightly. I so wish Herceptin was more bioavailable to the brain tissue. She tried the Lapatinib (now called Tykerb) trial last year, but it didn't work for her. That said, she's had Gamma Knife and 3 rounds of CyberKnife treatments, and each time the new small mets have been arrested. She has been through so much, but thank God she is here, her personality still very much my sister, and her memory is often better than mine (it's her short-term memory that's been more noticeably effected...but then too, after age 45, whose hasn't?).