Anyone out there have her2+ breast cancer in their family?

[Lani]

I have asked this before, but every year there are more people whose tumors have been tested for her2.

I thought of it again as I read Alaska Angels history: Dx 2002 age 51
bc for granny, aunt, cousin, sister, mother.
ER+/PR+/HER2+++

IN RODENTS, AT LEAST, there seems to be a hereditary her2+ bc associated with a mutation in FoxP3 (a gene having to do with cells in the immune system called T regulatory cells). If I recall correctly it was more commonly ER+ than ER- which is why I said rodents and not mice, as their bc tends to be ER-

Why does this matter?

Even if there are only a small number of families with this hereditary her2+ breast cancer it might speed up research on what genetic and or epigenetic changes lead to her2+ breast cancer.

So....if any and all of you who have close family members with breast cancer could list them and say whether or not their tumors were tested and found to be her2+ or - it might help us gather up a group to be presented to some researchers who could look further into it. Any and everything to speed up our understanding of the disease ...only way to control, cure, prevent!

How to list how they are related to you: paternal is on your father's side.

maternal is on your mother's side. eg maternal grandmother is your mother's mother paternal aunt is your father's' sister

Let's see if anything comes of this...in the meantime, thanks!

PS I think there are some out there, as at a bc conference I attended nurses from Genentech said there were some families where several members were receiving Herceptin for bc

[Becky]

Mother - was not Her2+ - strongly ER/PR+

Sister - only high grade DCIS so her2 was not tested but it was strongly ER/PR+

Cousin - not Her2. Moderately ER+ but PR negative

Aunt - long ago so not tested

All are maternal.

[lkc Gumby]

Mother ER/PR positive , not tested Her2, postmenopausal
Maternal Grandmother ? ER/PR,? Her2 status, posmenopausal
Maternal Aunt,? ER/PR,? Her2 status, posmenopausal

[Paty]

Paternal grand-aunts with breast cancer. Not tested.

Mother and only sister Ovarian Cancer.

Me, onlyone teted.

[Sheila]

Maternal:

Mother -Age 60 ER/PR +, Her2 Status Not tested (25 years ago)

Sister - Age 50 - Left Breast Triple Neg Pappilary, Right Breast ER/PR/Her2+ IDC, both diagnosed at same time,

Cousin - Diag age 40, DCIS ER+, Her2 not tested 20 years ago

Paternal :

Cousin Age 56, Triple Neg one side, Triple Positive on Other side, both found at same time

Cousin - Diagnosed at 40, Triple Neg I think

So far all who have been tested are Neg for bRCA 1 & 2

[StephN]

This is a great idea to bring up again, Lani!

I recall Joe mentioning it to a doctor at San Antonio BC Symposium and it seems that the research interest was not "there" yet ...

Funny how the micro research can take precedence over common sense - but if they felt more knowledge was needed before taking this route, guess that was over my head.

NO BC in my blood relatives except my mother's cousin in the 80's. She also had liver mets. That is all I know.

There was a thread on BC in families here a while back, and it seems the majority who replied had NO known breast cancer in their family. We also had few, if any, risk factors. Most of us were not overweight and pretty physically fit.

We had another thread asking about toxic conditions in the neighborhood where we grew up and many of us lived near old mining facilites, farming areas where chemicals were used, and some even reported running after the mosquito spray trucks!

[Sheila]

Guilty of running after mosquito spray trucks.....now I wont even let my dogs out when the trucks come around at night!

[Soccermom]

Mom 1st DX ER/PR+ (unknown),2nd DX ER/PR + Her2-, passed from metastatic disease.BRCA-
Maternal Aunt 1,IDC ,unknown hormone status (1972) unknown,BRCA status unknown
" Aunt 2,IDC, unknown hormone status, BRCA status unknown
" Aunt 3,IDC, unknown hormone status, BRCA status unknown
(4th Aunt Juvenile Osteosarcoma (age 75)
Maternal Uncle , lung cancer)
Me, ER/PR 95% +, Her2+++
Cousin 1, (BRCA1 +), IDC,2 separate DX's ( unknown hormonal status)
Cousin LCIS
(Brother 1 Colon Ca., Brother 2 Melanoma, Brother 3 , lung ca.
Nephew, melanoma)

Paternal side no known cancers.

For the record I did NOT ride my bike behind the mosquito truck like most of my friends did

[Mel3]

Paternal Great-Grandmother 48 at diagnosis in 1945 (Grandfather's Mother)
Paternal Great Aunt before age 50, "aggressive" type, late 1970's, early 80's (Grandmother's Ssister)
Paternal Uncle throat cancer

7 people on my block under the age of 45 diagnosed during the past 10 years, 4 women with breast cancer. Approximately 40 houses in the area. I was diagnosed at 42.

[Ellie F]

Paternal aunt bc age 53 years approx 25 years ago so no testing.
No bc on maternal side including numerous aunts and female cousins.
Ellie

[vballmom]

Mom - age 61 ER+/PR+ no Her2 test (15 year survivor)
Maternal Aunt - age 63 ER+/PR+ Her2- (1 year survivor)
Maternal Aunt - age 42 no info (27 year survivor - radical MX)
Paternal Grandmother - age 37 no info except radical MX and radiation. Died at 64 of unrelated pancreatic cancer.

My maternal aunt is involved in the sister study, so she will be sending them my info. She said they look at absolutely everything! Link

[karen z]

Paternal Aunt- long ago (assume not tested)
Do not know why my dad's mom died (I think in her fifties). I wonder about that but do not have any records related to my dad's side as he died in his thirties of Lupus (way back in the 50's when doctors did not know what to do for him).
Karen
I really wonder about my grandma and aunt.

[Firework]

@Sheila, me too! Parents opened the door and we chased that truck as far as wr cpuld and we were wearing our jammies! I also lived on Tarawa Terrace , Camp Lejuene. If you haven't read about the poisoning from there, it's worth reading about. There is the highest amount of male bc concentrated on the Marines that lived there......

[lkc Gumby]

I was out there with all the other neighborhood kids inhaling that sweet stuff from the truck, running as fast as we could behind it.
WTH?

[StephN]

We lived up a hill on a dead end street. Below was (still is) a canyon with a stream and pond at the bottom. The neighborhood was sprayed, but since we had air conditioning and it was hot there, our doors were closed and we were probably playing inside.

However the vineyards behind our house were sprayed before harvest, so there were other chemicals in our air.

[AlaskaAngel]

Good question, Lani. But so hard to answer, with all my family bc happening to those who are even older than I am, prior to HER2 testing.

Paternal
Aunt with ovarian cancer, around 15 years ago
Grandmother with breast cancer, around 50 years ago

Maternal
Mother with breast cancer, over 30 years ago
Older sister with breast cancers - 13 years ago IDC, and 3 years ago IBC
Aunt with breast cancer and mets to brain, over 50 years ago
Cousin with breast cancer, over 15 years ago

No recurrences among any of us. But most of us lived in the country (and we only chased the ice cream truck....!)

[Sandra in GA]

I am the first from both sides, maternal and paternal, to have breat cancer. However, I grew up on a farm and about 30 years ago we built on the family farm. Lots of chemicals for cotton, peanuts, and tobacco have been sprayed here.

My father and grandfather (his dad) both died from lung cancer. My first husband (he was a pharmacist) died from a brain tumor, gleoblastoma. My youngest son had testectular cancer along with two other cousins from my husband's side of the family. That was 16 years ago and he is doing well.

I am afraid I am only too familiar with this disease.

When I was diagnosed at Mayo in Jacksonville, I was told that I did not have to worry about my daughter or granddaughter getting this type, HER2+. The onc told me it was not inherited. I hope and pray he is right!

[KDR]

Lani,
My grandmother's sister had breast cancer, had a mastectomy 50-60 years ago, no testing done or results that we know of. Otherwise, no breast cancer in our bloodlines, maternal or paternal.
I am the first-known HER2+ woman in the family, and hopefully the last.
Karen

To anyone's recollection I am the FIRST to be dx bc on either side going back 4 generations. My father is a professional geneaologist. God willing I am the last.

Colon and stomach cancers dominate on both sides--my mother, her father, my paternal grandmother and her father all passed away from it. I was certain colon cancer was in my future so I was dumbfounded to be the 1st and only one with bc.

[Firework]

To answer the original topic question.....
My mother had bc 16 years ago.....no HER test done.

No other cancer on either side unless cirrhosis/cancer of the liver counts...... That would be an Uncle on paternal side. Miss him dearly.