opinions please

[peytons mom]

Hi all

I'm a stage 4 who has been on herceptin and navelbine weekly (with a few 1 week breaks lately) since Jan 1. I have mets in liver which are almost gone and some mets in skin which havn't changed. I am getting very t i r e d!!!! I think it is the navelbine. I see my dr. (who I really trust) in two weeks. She had said she wanted me to do a month more of this combo and then maybe drop the navelbine and add avastin. Now I'm reading about the tykerb also.What should I be researching?

Peytons Mom

[Lolly]

Hi; I don't know if Tykerb is going to available just yet for those of us who are stable or showing response to a Herceptin regimen; my understanding is that it will possibly be available for Compassionate Use for those Stage IV'ers who have progression while on Herceptin and/or Herceptin combos, until it is FDA approved(on the fast track I hear). So we have hope that if we need it we will be able to have it. In the meantime, talk with your doctor about Xeloda also, as an alternative to Avastin. I and several others here (I'm Stage IV with regional and distant spread to lymph system) have had good results with Xeloda added to Herceptin after coming off Navelbine. For myself, I'm on a very low dose, 500mg 2 x's daily, and have been very happily surprised at continued shrinkage of my affected lymph nodes with no adverse side effects.

Keep us posted,
<3 Lolly