early Christmas present--10 yr overall & bc specific survival results just published!

[Rolepaul]

Maybe Herceptin is like a seatbelt in a car: You never know if it benefited a particular case, and it will not save everyone. It is clear that those populations that are not able to get Herceptin, now or in the past, may provide a potential comparison group. Without Herceptin, the death rate is quite high, where it drops significantly with Herceptin. Whether you believe the drug helped a specific individual may not be a good reason to say it is great for all. I know my wife Nina is alive due to the drug as all other treatments have not shown the ability to help Brain/spine HER+ involvement. I am glad for success in your case without the drug, but hope that you do not feel that there is no benefit in the drug.

[AlaskaAngel]

I am genuinely grateful for those who benefitted from the drugs, because they do improve the picture for a meaningful number of people -- including a fair number who only receive brief or intermittent benefit.

But because the blanket use of the therapies still does delay the pursuit of better treatment for others while encouraging false hope, and

Because overall there is such a huge cost in continuing to support the blanket use of drug(s) that provide no benefit for some, there are good reasons for stubbornly pointing out those realities, even though it means going against the tide. That cost would be better spent finding other solutions.

I'm glad I refused the drug personally, because it forces a somewhat more realistic viewpoint. Otherwise I too would have been counted as one of those who was "rescued" by the drug.