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12-26-2008, 08:32 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 43
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cost of herceptin
Hi to all, is it really true that herceptin costs over 70,000.00 a year? How much did everyones insurance pick up?
snufi
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12-27-2008, 05:58 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,357
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From what I've read here, the cost varies by where you get treatment. don't know of anyone who had trouble getting insurance to pay for the year. ma
__________________
MA in TX.
Grateful for each and every day....
Diag. 12/05 at age 60
Stage II, Grade 3, 4.5 cm primary tumor
ER/PR- Her2 +3 strongly positive
Her2 by FISH 7.7 amplified
vascular invasion
Ki67 20% borderline
Jan - March '06 Taxotere/Adriamycin X 3 to try to shrink tumor - it grew
April '06 Rt Modified Radical Mas, 7 of 9 nodes positive
April - Aug. '06 Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin X 8 (dose dense)
Sept - Dec. '06 Navelbine/Herceptin x 8 (dose dense)
Radiation & Herceptin Jan. 22 - March 1, 2007
Finished Herceptin Dec. 10 '08! One extra year.
Port removed August, 2012.
8 1/2 years since diagnosis! 5 1/2 Years NED!
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12-27-2008, 08:17 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Evergreen, Colorado
Posts: 454
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Snufi,
Funny you should mention the cost of herceptin. I JUST sat down to write out some bills and the bill from my Onc is on the top.
I go to a oncologist that performs the infusion in her office. (not a large cancer center) The cost is roughly $3500 every 3 weeks.
My insurance has covered the cost completely, I just pay my $20 co-pay for the office visit. Let's just say that I am more than a little relieved and thank my insurance each time I receive on of these bills.
I am Stage IV, so I continue to receive herceptin past the 12 month standard. My insurance has continued to pay past the 12 months.
I hope that helps....Lori
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2007
Oct - Diagnosed - Stage IV 5 c.m. IDC - Left Side er/pr- Her2+++ Node + 2/14 - Single Liver Met Double Mastectomy Nov - Begin T+H 2008
Feb-Complete 6 cycles- T&H- NED
March - Continue - Herceptin Only
April - Rads for 6 weeks
2009
Continue Herceptin - Continue NED
April - Recurrance- 3 cm. Liver Met
May - Cryosurgery
June - November - Abraxane + Herceptin
Aug - PET/CT - CTC = 0 Back to NED
2010
January - Continue NED
July - Recurrance - 3 cm Liver Met CTC=1
August - Cryosurgery #2
August - November Navelbine
November - Back to NED - End Navelbine
2011
Feb - Recur - 4 cm Liver Met - Same Left Lobe
March Surgery it is -Couldn't get a clean margin
July - Confirmed continued liver involvement
August - Begin Herceptin + Tykerb
October - Mixed results from H+T
Add Abraxane + H + T - Nov - April
2012
January PET Scan - It's working!!
April - Back to NED
July - Recurrance
August - Begin TDM-1 Trial (Taxol + TDM-1)
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12-27-2008, 09:06 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Franklin, MA
Posts: 131
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I am also Stage IV and have been on Herceptin and other chemo drugs for 3+ years. The only thing I have ever paid is my $20 office visit co-pay. It has never been questioned by my insurance carrier (and I have been covered by 2 different HMO's since I was diagnosed in 2005).
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Diagnosed 10-03-2005 (34 wks pregnant, 38 yrs old)
Lumpectomy Nov-2005. 10/18 Lymph Nodes impacted
Mets to liver, spine & femurs (thus being stage IV right from the get-go)
ER-, PR-, HER2+
Taxol/Herceptin/Zometa started Dec-2005. 11 cycles of Taxol.
Sept-2006: PET/CT scan of mets to liver, spine and femurs - Stable. Activity in R breast & mediastinum (not seen in prior scans).
Navelbine (3 wks on/1 wk off) as of Oct--2006 & continued Herceptin (every 3 wks) & Zometa (every 6 wks)
Jan-2007: PET/CT Scan - Stable. Continued Nav. through March-2007, then Herc./Zom. only after that.
June-2007: PET/CT Scan - activity in mediastinum. Back on Navelbine as of July-2007.
Scanned Quarterly since Oct-2007 - a few small scares, but otherwise stable due to continuing weekly Navelbine, Herceptin and Quarterly Zometa.
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12-27-2008, 09:28 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Stockton, NJ
Posts: 4,179
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I think at this time, Herceptin used in an adjuvant setting is standard of care for Her2+ women. However, I could see that some insurance companies might not pay for adjuvant Herceptin if it was not given in a method that was deemed "Standard of Care" (ie: with chemotherapy).
Herceptin would probably cost between $60,000 - $75,000 for the year depending on where you go and how well you can negotiate to get the cost down.
__________________
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"
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12-27-2008, 12:26 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,142
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cost of herceptin
Yes. It is possible for Herceptin to cost $70,000 a year judging by my insurance statements. Thank goodness for health insurance !! I am very grateful for that.
A healthy and peaceful 2009 !!
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12-27-2008, 12:54 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Hershey, PA. Live The Sweet Life!
Posts: 2,005
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Snufi,
My Herceptin infusions cost nearly $9400 every three weeks! My insurance covers everything once the annual deductable of $3000.00 has been met. My insurance carrier pays out approx 60% of the billed cost of $9400. I wonder what will happen under a national health care system like they have in the U.K and Canada? We just may get a national system under this present administration. Any thoughts?
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Smile On!
Laurel
Dx'd w/multifocal DCIS/IDS 3/08
7mm invasive component
Partial mast. 5/08
Stage 1b, ER 80%, PR 90%, HER-2 6.9 on FISH
0/5 nodes
4 AC, 4 TH finished 9/08
Herceptin every 3 weeks. Finished 7/09
Tamoxifen 10/08. Switched to Femara 8/09
Bilat SPM w/reconstruction 10/08
Clinical Trial w/Clondronate 12/08
Stopped Clondronate--too hard on my gizzard!
Switched back to Tamoxifen due to tendon pain from Femara
15 Years NED
I think I just might hang around awhile....
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12-28-2008, 07:56 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Naples FL
Posts: 1,744
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yes...costly...my insurance paid 80%...leaving me with 20% plus deductibles...ever see Michael Moore's movie...SICKO? that's me...had to sell investments, house...still in incredible debt. Plus during all this can't work, no income... I try to stay positive by feeling incredibly blessed to have had herceptin and to be alive!!!
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Suzan W.
age 54 at diagnosis
5/05 suspicious mammogram-left breast
5/05 biopsy-invasive lobular carcinoma with LCIS,8mm tumor,stage 1 grade 2, ER+ PR+ Her2+++
6/14/05 bilateral mastectomy, node neg. all scans neg.
Oncotype DX-high risk
8/05-10/05 4 rounds A/C
10/05 -10/06 1 yr. herceptin
arimidex-5 years
2/14/08 started daily self administered injections..FORTEO for severe osteoporosis
7/28/09 BRCA 1 negative BRCA2 POSITIVE
8/17/09 prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy
10/15/10 last FORTEOinjection
RECLAST infusion(ostoeporosis)
6/14/10 5 year cancerversary!
8/2010-18%increase in bone density!
no further treatments
Oncologist says, "Go do the Happy Dance"
I say,"What a long strange trip its been"
'One day at a time'
6-14-2015. 10 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!
7-16 to 9-16. Extensive (and expensive) dental work done to save teeth. Damage from osteoporosis and chemo and long term bisphosphonate use
6-14-16. 11 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
7-20-16 Prolia injection for severe osteoporosis
2 days later, massive hive outbreak. This led to an eventual dx of Chronic Ideopathic Urticaria, an auto-immune disease from HELL.
6-14-17 12 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
still suffering from CIU. 4 hospitilizations in the past year
as of today, 10-31-17 in remission from CIU and still, CANCER FREE!!!
6-14-18 13 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!! NED!!
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12-29-2008, 11:49 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,142
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cost of herceptin
I love your thinking suzan w. Despite paying for our medical care with a combination of insurance, asset and savings medical debt is a fact of life for alot of us , but as long as we keep thinking positive we can figure out a way to pay it off. I will probably be paying mine off until I am 100, but I am also grateful to be alive and kicking and that is the main thing.
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12-29-2008, 01:04 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 368
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Mine was close to $70,000. My insurance did not pay 100%.
The charges were $3745 every three weeks. My insurance wouldn't pay the usual prescription rate because they said the onc did not buy it from their preferred pharmacy. After some weeks of phone calls, and wrangling, the onc said he would accept what the insurance paid and wrote off the rest.
The amount written off each visit was $1216.
If it weren't for my onc, I may not have been able to get it because the insurance couldn't have cared less.
That said, I know the maker of herceptin, Genentech has a program that may allow you get herceptin for free or little cost.
I was one of those that made too much to get help and not enough to pay for it.
__________________
12/12/06- IDC Stage III, 4x A/C, 35 rads, Herceptin 1 year
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