Herceptin (Trastuzumab) for Breast Cancer Linked to CNS Metastases

['lizbeth]

GDP,

I crunched the numbers and my understanding that in 9020 patients an additional 47 women had CNS mets in the Taxane and Herceptin arm compared to the control arm.

I've heard this information before and it seemed alarming. But I wonder how many of us (using the 9020 as an example) would have had a recurrence of breast cancer with mets to organs and bones without Herceptin.

It is interesting that the cancer would have the "intelligence" to slip into the nervous system where it would be "protected" from the immune system and from Herceptin & Taxanes. Sounds very similar to the survival instincts of the Herpes virus.

I feel cancer hijacks cells, the immune system, viruses. It gets a free ride (isn't there a song called free ride?). Its time to start squawking 7500.

[gdpawel]

Liz

Take notice Dr. Hortobagyi mentioned what has been known for a decade? Brain metastases are the most common type of brain tumors, with the total number diagnosed annually outnumbering all other intracranial tumors combined. With the increasing survival of patients with systemic (extracranial) disease, the incidence of the most common cancers (lung, breast, melanoma, renal and colon) is thought to be rising.

Autopsy data has shown that the frequency of brain metastases in patients dying from cancer varies from 20 to 50%, and may be higher if dural, leptomeningeal, or spinal metastases are taken into account. As the incidence of brain metastases rises due to improved cancer therapy for systemic disease, it is imperative that improved intracranial therapy be developed as well.

In other words, I sincerely believe the figures are much, much higher than what is being reported in medical literature.

Greg