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From what I've seen on this list and the internet, Herceptin alone is not so unusual. I'm in Tokyo and Herceptin is only available for stage 4 patients with active mets (probably because of its expense) but my doctor is angry about this as he feels it would be effect at preventing recurrences in earlier staged patients and would save the national health plan folks money in the long run. He's head of his dept. at the Natl. Cancer Center here and is very active in trials and pushing to get drugs approved.
I think I read somewhere of women in Australia and in Great Brittain who had won in court about getting Herceptin at earlier stages too. If your insurance will cover it, I think it is an effective prophylactic.
Best,
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Kathy S in Tokyo (44)
11/2004 partial masectomy (clear margins) - ER/PR++ HER+++
12/2004 Tamoxifen
11/2005 Clavicle & neck lymph nodes mets
30 Days rads, 7 months CEF-T Chemo
6/2006 mid chemo lung mets oral toremifene
10/2006 changed hospitals
12/2006 Tamoxifen and monthly Zoladex
2/2007 Dramatic growth of mets! Stopped Tamoxifen and Zoladex
3/2007 Began weekly Herceptin
6/2007 Added weekly Taxol to regime
4/2008 More lung mets - stopped Taxol
5/2008 Xeloda - 3 weeks on 1 week off
8/2008 Got a port!
9/2008 Stopped Xeloda, started weekly Navelbine
12/2008 Tumor progression, stopped Navelbine
1/2009 Taxotere begins again, once in every three weekly Herceptin IVs
3/2009 Added Zometa pelvic bone met, lung tumors progressing, stopped Taxotere/Herceptin
4/10/2009 Whoa seizure! 6cm&3cm brain mets. craniotomy and gamma knife surgery 5/15/2009 Started Adria/Cyto stopped 9/15 due to progession. Brain mets back 10/28 surgery more gamma soon
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