if this holds up, method for following adjuvant treatment of breast cancer may change

[Lani]

I just went to a lecture by Max Wicha. He is proceeding with a trial in collaboration with colleagues in Germany (where the oncologists aren't as adverse to performing bone marrows, it seems) where serial bone marrows will study the effects of different treatments, especially those which they hope will eradicated breast cancer stem cells.

He had lots of new data to present and said there would be 200 papers and posters on cancer stem cells at the upcoming AACR annual meeting!

He also thinks inflammation make have a role awakening the "sleeping beauty" dormant breast cancer stem cells and that her2 is not only a marker of the stem cells, with her2+ breast cancers having a higher percentage of stem cells within their tumors but that herceptin may be useful in some breast cancer patients who are not her2 FISH positive because it may target their cancer stem cells as well.

Have to run, but will try to answer Ellie's questions later...