[hutchibk]

hmmm - I would 1. talk to the insurance/business office person at the doctor's office, and also 2. call your ins company to confirm, and 3. also consider changing oncologists. One thing to know is that it is not unheard of for an unsavory oncologist to "steer" you towards treatments that they make more money from. A cynical view, I know, but I have heard that it does happen. Also, maybe post your question on the main forum here... the general her2 forum.

I found this Q and A on the Breastcancer.org website... doesn't speak to insurance coverage, though.

Study with AI plus Herceptin, no chemo?

Question from Rooster: I'm post-menopausal, hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer. I want the benefits of hormonal therapy and Herceptin—but I'd really like to avoid chemo. I heard about a study using an aromatase inhibitor along with Herceptin, without the chemo. Tell me more about this?
Answer —Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H.: It sounds as if the tumor that you've been treated for is responsive both to hormonal therapies and to Herceptin. Most U.S. oncologists have favored chemotherapy in patients whose tumors are HER2-positive. The use of hormonal therapy and Herceptin without chemotherapy is particularly appealing in somebody with an otherwise "lower risk" tumor, for example, small tumor, negative nodes. The benefits of chemotherapy may be small in somebody with a small tumor and negative lymph nodes. Nonetheless, as I said above, most oncologists will recommend chemotherapy in this setting. This is something you'll want to talk about with your doctor in your particular case. At the San Antonio conference, the combination of an aromatase inhibitor and Herceptin was shown to be highly effective in women with advanced, metastatic breast cancer. Most of us who take care of patients have used this combination for quite some time, often with long-lasting results. Studying this combination without chemotherapy in women with early stage disease will be important before it becomes standard practice.