Early Stage Breast Cancer and Herceptin????

[LeahM]

Ralph I had the Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin chemo cocktail. I had that infused once every three weeks for a total of 6 infusions. (18 weeks). While that was going on I had the Herceptin infused weekly for 20 weeks and am now on a once every three week schedule with the Herceptin. I unfortunately did not handle the chemo (TC) well. I lived a very active lifestyle before cancer and couldn't maintain it during chemo treatments. "Standards of care" vary from treatment center to treatment center tho so you will know more once you meet with the medical oncologist.
I think tho that (and I could be wrong) HER2+ folks who have a lumpectomy have radiation treatments after chemo is done. I did rads too (34 treatments)...even tho I had a BMX...and I handled that much better then chemo.
Because I am also ER+ I started on hormone therapy after radiation was complete.
One step at a time. Chemo. Rads. Hormone therapy.
As for my active lifestyle pre cancer...I am slowy getting that back. I have joined a gym and hope to be mud running ready by May and kayaking ready by June. All this treatment to get well again really can take a toll on a persons body and I have learned that I needed to accept that and remember that it is (God willing) only temporary.
Keep us posted as you meet with the doctors.
Best Wishes.
Leah

[Lani]

fyi
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2013 Feb 15. [Epub ahead of print]
Recurrence risk in small, node-negative, early breast cancer: a multicenter retrospective analysis.
Gamucci T, Vaccaro A, Ciancola F, Pizzuti L, Sperduti I, Moscetti L, Longo F, Fabbri MA, Giampaolo MA, Mentuccia L, Di Lauro L, Vici P.
Source
Medical Oncology Unit, ASL Frosinone, Via Armando Fabi, 03100, Frosinone, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE:
Recurrences and deaths are known to occur, even if less frequently, in small, node-negative breast cancer patients, and decision on adjuvant treatments remains controversial. In the present analysis, we evaluate recurrence risk in patients with pT1 a, b, c, node-negative, breast cancer, accordingly with some prognostic biological factors.
METHODS:
We retrospectively evaluated 900 node-negative patients (pT1a, b, c) surgery treated between 2000 and 2009 in four Italian oncologic centers. We defined 3 different cohorts: ER positive (ER+); Her-2 positive (Her-2+); and triple negative (TN).
RESULTS:
pT1a was seen in 7.6% of patients, 37.7 % pT1b, 54.8 % pT1c. Concerning the 3 different cohorts, 58.2 % were ER+; 10.8 % were Her-2+; 8.2 % were TN. Overall, chemotherapy was given to 3.0 %, 27.2 %, 69.8 % of pT1a, b, c, respectively, and to 22.7 %, 58.8 %, 68.9 % of ER+, Her-2+, TN subgroups. At a median follow-up of 67 months, 5-year DFS was 96.3 %, 89.2 %, 89.4 % in pT1a, b, c, respectively (100 %, 93.6 %, 89.8 % in ER+; 100 %, 78.7 %, 85.0 % in Her-2+; 100 %, 76.8 %, 85.2 % in TN) (p = ns). At multivariate analysis, histologic grade and Ki-67 resulted independent prognostic factors. Overall, 5-year OS was 98 %, without differences among pT1a, b, c, or among the 3 cohorts.
CONCLUSIONS:
Overall, 5-year DFS was very favorable in this series of small, node-negative breast cancers, but Her-2+ and TN cohorts have a higher recurrence rate than ER+ cohort (p < 0.0001); pT1c, but also pT1b, in Her-2+ and TN subgroups, have a worse outcome, and effective chemotherapy treatment should be considered in these unfavorable subgroups.
PMID: 23411686