Could stroke be related to herceptin treatment??

[Cathya]

Hi all;

I haven’t posted in quite a while but have enjoyed lurking. I am still NED but undergoing tests (contrast CT’s mostly now) every two months as my onc thinks I might have a hidden tumor (??). I think his concern is my rising tumor markers…..particularly the Serum Her2. It dropped slightly a couple of months ago after being on a rising trend the past two tests and so he is holding off herceptin until he gets the results of the one I just had done yesterday. Problem is that twice before my heart function has dropped on herceptin and I’ve had to stop its use so he really wants to be sure it’s absolutely necessary. I’ve had a couple of MRI’s and some time between the one in February and the one in May I had a stroke!! What a surprise. If I had symptoms I am not aware but he sent me off to see a neurologist last month who ran some tests and I will be getting his report on Friday. I haven’t had high blood pressure but am overweight…..sigh….a constant struggle. The one test looked was an ultrasound of my neck. The neurologist wondered if my radiation treatment of my supraclavicular node tumor had damaged the area but the technologist said I was very lucky and everything seemed clear….also no sign of tumors….Yes!! I wonder if this stroke is related to herceptin in any way?? I hadn't been taking it for about 6 months. I wonder if there’s any other treatment like herceptin available for me….without the heart impact? I have been feeling pretty low over the last couple of months but am feeling better now.
Best regards,
Cathy