list of her2 article exclusively at San Antonion Breast Cancer Conference

[Becky]

Dear Robin

It is difficult to make an assessment on the article - how far out did this study follow these women. Also, it is clear they did not receive Herceptin. Did they receive anything? Most likely they were only followed 1-3 yrs. So... we all know that being Her2+ predicts a worse prognosis but what does that really mean? In general, I think that a Her2+ woman (prior to Herceptin) had a 10% - 25% greater likehood of recurrence than a woman who is Her2 negative BUT highly ER+/PR+. This range depends on how advanced the cancer was when diagnosed. So, therefore, a woman who has a small tumor and negative nodes might have an overall 20% chance of recurrence (prior to Herceptin, prior to an exercise regimen, prior to a healthier lifestyle - all risk of recurrence reducing factors and perhaps prior to having had any chemotherapy but adding in that masectomy or lumpectomy with radiation was employed).

A Her2 neg woman who is highly ER+/PR+ might have a 10% chance of recurrence that is halved to 5% because she would take an AI or tamoxifen. These are the stats doctors are used to because this is the biggest bc population.

The takeaway is that: yes - Her2+ do recur more especially within the first 24 months (Herceptin halves this % and brings us more in line with the common hormone positive/Her2 negative population) but not everyone recurs regardless of stage and Stage 1 women - especially those with tiny tumors, recur less overall. This is true no matter what kind of bc a woman has.

It will be interesting to see the stats on this paper so I guess we will have to wait until December.

BC is scary but always remember that the old adage "worse prognosis" is prior to Herceptin and even without Herceptin, many women never recur with or without chemotherapy.