Want to talk with ER/PR neg and HER2 pos

Heart Sutra · 12-27-2006, 06:17 PM

Hi,

There is a lot of info on the web regarding your questions.

You asked the difference between er/pr neg, and er/pr pos.

Whether or not there are estrogen and progesterone receptors with the cancer cells. This determines whether the treatment you'll receive is hormone based or not.

Lymph node involvement does not mean metestatic bc. It means that there are cancer cells detected within those lymph nodes, it does not mean that there is cancer elsewhere in your body.

The accuracy of HER2 diagnosis was well answered by Tousled1 (Kate).

Welcome here, We have found some of the best people... very warm and caring souls who are full of information and compassion. Some answered you already! We are new to this too, and we thank you for being here.

and yes... this dx of HER2 is not what it once was. There is reason to think it is the most treatable of cancers now.

Catherine · 12-27-2006, 10:44 PM

Thanks to everyone who answered me and welcomed me to this site. Your answers were very helpful. I am not exactly sure how to navigate on this site, but I will get better. I might even figure out how to get my picture on here. I will have to decide whether the picture will be before BC, or currently with a half inch of hair, or currently with my cute wig.

Thanks so much for the good wishes...same to all of you.
Catherine in Oregon

Lolly · 12-27-2006, 10:59 PM

Hi Catherine, and a late welcome to the group

I'm er/pr-, her2+++, and also from Oregon!

If a cancer is er/pr positive, it means estrogen and progesterone help the cancer cells to grow. Therapys for these cancers involve blocking the effects of the hormones.

Her2-neu is a protein, and being Her2+ means our cancer cells use the her2-neu protein to grow, and that's where Herceptin and Tykerb come in, helping to block the growth effects of Her2.

Sounds so simple, wish it were as simple to treat!

<3 Lolly