HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post

Becky · 07-31-2008, 08:23 PM

Hi Unregistered

Your figures may be true for Stage 4 women who became Stage 4 - like your example of Elizabeth Edwards - she was not diagnosed Stage 4 but at Stage 3. She was treated with surgery, chemo and radiation and then recurred. These women will not be cured but may be NED for years without recurrence (and, as you said - they may never recur).

However, women diagnosed as Stage 4 from the get go, being chemotherapy naive, they may never recur and the chemo may do its magic the first time as it does in the lower stages of cancer (by erradicating micro mets that we don't even know are there). I stand by my fact and I am sure yours is true to but we are talking about 2 different kinds of Stage 4 patients.

07-31-2008, 08:23 PM	#33
Becky Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Stockton, NJ Posts: 4,179	Hi Unregistered Your figures may be true for Stage 4 women who became Stage 4 - like your example of Elizabeth Edwards - she was not diagnosed Stage 4 but at Stage 3. She was treated with surgery, chemo and radiation and then recurred. These women will not be cured but may be NED for years without recurrence (and, as you said - they may never recur). However, women diagnosed as Stage 4 from the get go, being chemotherapy naive, they may never recur and the chemo may do its magic the first time as it does in the lower stages of cancer (by erradicating micro mets that we don't even know are there). I stand by my fact and I am sure yours is true to but we are talking about 2 different kinds of Stage 4 patients. __________________ Kind regards Becky Found lump via BSE Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45 1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side) 2 micromets to sentinel node Stage 2A left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg lumpectomies 9/7/04 4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol Used Leukine instead of Neulasta 35 rads on right side only 4/05 started Tamoxifen Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations Oophorectomy 8/05 Started Arimidex 9/05 Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06 Arimidex Only Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia NED 18 years! Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"