Early stage treatment discussion

[Jean]

Valerie,
I understand - the history of herceptin was so profound when given to the advanced stage patients that it could not be ignored. In most studies with new drugs and treatments that are being researched are usually with the later stage patients and in this area the early stage patients benefit. In this area Herceptin was fast tracked. The trials showed herceptin effectiveness in the clinical trials.

There is a new trial with bc patients who are older and may have other health issues where chemo may not be the best choice for them - that study will be a strong additive to us in the future.

For the present time we are faced with an aggressive form of bc - that is showing via studies that we are gaining on this disease with those treatments. There is no free lunch with this disease. We are changing the odds. In the coming years hopefully we will have the answers that may allow yet another change in treatment.

While not everyone will experience a recurrence (thank the good Lord) we do not have the ability to know who will and who will not.

I like Becky would do what we know works with Her2 pathology...as from your post so would you.

Jean

[Jackie07]

I forever regret not to have insisted on getting a mastectomy and Herceptin when my breast cancer was first diagnosed in 2003. I did research on Her2 +++ breast cancer and had all the information I needed. But I trusted my doctors too much - why shouldn't I? After all, they are the expert.

Little did I know that I would become one of the victims and would be having misread mammagrams for the next 4 years. Then I realized why there were misdignoses for so many bc patients.

I am happy to be still alive and well. But all of these were so unnecessary. Why do the medical community continue to emphasize women's unwillingness to part their breasts? I wanted to have mastectomy and Herceptin after getting the information from most current research in 2003. And I was 'talked out of it' by both the surgeon and the oncologist.

They are still my doctors right now. And they are quite satisfied that I am a 'long-term' survivor. I was just encouraged to participated in the cancer support group in the hospital. And what can I share with other newly diagnosed? That they need to watch out for the recurrence from the over-confident doctors who chould not admit that they had goofed in my treatment?
That they need to watch out for the possibility of losing their jobs and then get on unemployment and disability? That nobody would really care if they get depressed because it is expected? That they have to put on a good facade lest people should think that they are crazy?

No. Not any of those. I know it very well - and my doctors know it very well - that I have always been a positive person who counts her blessings starting the day when she was born prematurely. I'd been counting my blessings ever since my life-long brain tumor had been diagnosed. I was the one who felt it all made sense when the breast cancer was first 'found' by ourselves while I was on unemployment. I'd never had paid attention to it had I'd been busy with a full-time job and other volunteer work (that's what happened during my recurrence.)

I am so glad to have found this site. I am so grateful for all the information I received here. It was here I learned that I could take control of the situation and requested for genes test and then had prophylactic hysterectomy/oophorectomy. I've never been more healthy in my whole life. I know that I have dodged another (couple of) bullets now that I'm no longer having 'low-grade fever'. I may still 'die prematurely' from something else. But at least I know I've done my best to fulfil my duty as a human - 'stay'n alive'.