 |
12-19-2006, 03:36 AM
|
#1
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 2,104
|
Congratulations Johanna! Seems like the chemo cocktail is working! Of course you'll have a white Christmas. Enjoy it with your son.
__________________
Kate
Stage IIIC Diagnosed Oct 25, 2005 (age 58)
ER/PR-, HER2+++, grade 3, Ploidy/DNA index: Aneuploid/1.61, S-phase: 24.2%
Neoadjunct chemo: 4 A/C; 4 Taxatore
Bilateral mastectomy June 8, 2006
14 of 26 nodes positive
Herceptin June 22, 2006 - April 20, 2007
Radiation (X35) July 24-September 11, 2006
BRCA1/BRCA2 negative
Stage IV lung mets July 13, 2007 - TCH
Single brain met - August 6, 2007 -CyberKnife
Oct 2007 - clear brain MRI and lung mets shrinking.
March 2008 lung met progression, brain still clear - begin Tykerb/Xeloda/Ixempra
|
|
|
|
12-19-2006, 06:35 AM
|
#2
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 503
|
Wonderful news Johanna- so good to hear you are doing so well.
Have a very, merry Christmas !!!
Warmly,
Maria (MTS)
|
|
|
|
|
12-19-2006, 10:42 AM
|
#3
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 543
|
Jóhanna,
The latest good news on your progress in fighting back your cancer are indeed pleasant to read.
The most impressive part,in my view, is the regression of the brain mets with the regimen of Herceptin, Femara & Zometa.
In principle, Herceptin is not able to cross the blood brain barrier. So it is not likely to be the key to your successfull treatment.
I can't find definitive answers as to what Femara can do for the brain: one web site states that it is unknown if it reaches the brain. The Novartis web site (manufacturer of Femara) says that the drug is widely distributed in the body but does not mention specifically the brain. Even if it drastically reduces the circulating estrogens outside the brain, it is now known that large quantities of estrogens (estradiol alpha & beta) are secreted in the brain by nerves in the hippocampus.
I found only one definite mention of brain mets successfully treated with Femara:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum
Letrozole for brain and scalp metastases from breast cancer--a case report.
Al tried to find answers to the same questions from Forum members but the answers are inconclusive :
http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin...ad.php?t=19324
Brain mets and hormonal therapy
So your success calls for an explanation since, if you are not a special case, your onc may have found a combination treatment applicable to others.
Could you ask him for his thoughts?
Did you weaken the blood brain barrier in some way(without the help of radiotherapy)?
|
|
|
|
|
12-19-2006, 11:01 AM
|
#4
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Stockton, NJ
Posts: 4,179
|
Congratulations Johanna and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
__________________
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"
|
|
|
|
|
12-19-2006, 11:18 AM
|
#5
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ireland
Posts: 3,463
|
Congratulations
So nice to hear some good news,especially regarding the brain
mets as my friend has just found out her cancer has progressed
to her brain.
It gives such hope to all of us to share your good news,thank you.
Happy Christmas!
__________________
Tricia
Dx July '05 IDC 1.9cm Triple positive 3/9 nodes positive
A/C X 4 ..Taxol/Herceptin x 12 wks then herceptin 1 yr
Rads x 36 ..oophorectomy August '06
Currently taking Arimidex..
June 2011 osteopenia/ zometa x1 yearly- stopped Zometa 2015 as Dexa show normal bone density.
Stopped Arimidex July 2014- Restarted Arimidex 2015 for a further two years on the advice of my Onc.
2014 Normal Dexa scan
2018 Mammo all clear, still NED!
|
|
|
|
|
12-19-2006, 01:20 PM
|
#6
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Iceland
Posts: 31
|
Hello again an thanks for answers,
Heblaj01. Sorry, if I´m misleeding you but I forgot in this letter to talk about WBR I had in july, because for me it´s over and done with.
2002. jan. dx mastectomy. 25/25 nodes pos. er+pr+ , chemo, radiation and tamoxifen.
2005. aug. dx in bones. Put on Femara/Navelbine. Checked for HER2 and pos.
2006. jan. dx in liver. Stopped Femara/Navelbine and put on herceptin/taxotere 17 sessions. Liver was clean after 12 sessions.
2006. jun/jul dx. with four brain mets. 10 sessions of WBR. Stopped Taxotere (1 session left) Started Femara again and weekly herceptin.
CT-scan 12 of july shoved clean liver and I also had MRI. That was because I had asked another onc. (mine was away for holiday) june 23. to order a brain scan to check my brain because I was feeling strange in my head and had bad headaches. June 25 My sister took me to ER because of my status, talking nonsence etc. DX. that day with 4 brain mets. After six days the WBR started.
My onc. was back and gave me the results 13. july. He was surprised to see the brain MRI of course. Then I had 3 more times to go and he said that this was surprisingly good responce to treatment.
Another scan on liver and brain in sept. was good and then again this one 13 of desember. My tumor markers 15.3 was down to 77 in oct. from 147 in july. I will have another blood results next thursday.
As I was told by my onc its a theory that radiation activates herceptin, but whether it cross BBB I'm not sure. Everything in this combination is apparently working well.
There is alot of Q&A in this field.
Again sorry if I misled you all but I had previously posted my status. Things like this happens to people like me who think they are well known (Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Johanna?)
Best regards,
Jóhanna
|
|
|
|
|
12-19-2006, 02:13 PM
|
#7
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: northshore suburb of chicago
Posts: 1,093
|
Just what we needed....some good news for a change. So happy to hear the chemo cocktail is working. Keep up the good work. Happy and Healthy Holidays.
__________________
~Rina~
Dx:3/06 had a lumpectomy April 19, 2006
Her2+ er/pr- Stage I Grade 3 tumor size 1.4 cm, node negative
AC 4 dense doses
34 radiation treatments including booster doses
receiving herceptin every 3 weeks since late August 2006 for 12 months
|
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:34 AM.
|
Hybrid Mode