[Mtngrl]

Dear Jean,

I had no intention of starting a fight. You make some good points. However, there are studies to back up what I said, and I'm not being defeatist. Please re-read what I said. You're putting words in my mouth.

The study that started this thread said Herceptin improves ten-year survival to 84% from 75%. That's a big improvement, and it is right to celebrate it. But it's not a cure. In that ten-year period, 16% still died. And the article doesn't give figures for overall survival.

Symptoms can arise at any stage, and if they do then we have great tools for diagnosing and treating. You make it sound like you think not getting annual mammograms means you won't know you have breast cancer until it metastasizes. That's not the case. On the other hand, many women with HER-2+ bc are metastatic at diagnosis, even with annual mammograms. A friend of mine turned up at Stage IV one month after a "clean" mammogram.

I'm advocating for prevention and cure, and for a rational allocation of resources. That's all.

Love and peace to all,
Amy