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Old 04-20-2010, 04:06 PM   #1
BlueSky
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2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

Have just started my 15th month on Herceptin. My Onc is awaiting report on a study comparing results of one year vs. two on the drug. Anyone know the name of this study or anything about it?
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Old 04-21-2010, 02:38 PM   #2
Lani
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

It is called the HERA study. It is just one part of the study. The updates are usually reported at the ASCO or San Antonio Breast cancer meetings (June, December) and usually by the head of the international study, Martine Piccart, of Belgium.

She has not given any estimate recently of when such results may become available as far as I know.
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Old 04-23-2010, 09:48 PM   #3
weety
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

I read somewhere, but can't remember where, that they are expecting some results to be released in early 2011. My onc seems to think that there must not be much of a difference found between the 1 and 2 years, or something surely would have be "leaked" out by now. I'm about half-way done with my one-year. I'm very interested if they will know whether to extend my treatment, or if I'll miss the results by a month or two since I'll be done late 2010.
__________________
Diagnosed 7/09 with 7mm IDC ER weakly +, PR -, Her2+

TCH chemo 8/09-12/09

Ooph/hysterectomy 4/10

Started Femara 6/10

Completed year of herceptin 10/11

Zometa 1/11 (2X/yr for 2yrs)

Hopefully nothing else!!!!
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Old 04-24-2010, 08:17 AM   #4
Becky
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

Dear Weety

If a second year of Herceptin is really beneficial over one year, you may be able to return to your cancer center and continue (even if you have had a couple of months break). There will be some type of "rule" for that. When the first Herceptin trials had results, many women (myself included) who were already finished with treatment were permitted to return to treatment and get their year of Herceptin.

Intial "rules" at that time started out as those who were 6 months from the last chemo then it changed to one year out then 2 yrs out (I was almost 4 months out so I rushed it get started but by the time I had my first dose, the "rule" changed to one year).

In your case, if there are "rules" they would probably be based on the time from the last Herceptin infusion.

I am also in the group who thinks that short term, there are probably not that much benefit from 2 yrs over 1 year. However, perhaps 2 years is better for long term results much like 5 yrs of Tamoxifen or an AI is better long term than 1,2 3, or 4 yrs of those drugs. I am just thinking out loud here.

The main point is getting the year of Herceptin.
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Kind regards

Becky

Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia

NED 18 years!

Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
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Old 04-26-2010, 10:00 AM   #5
Christine MH-UK
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

The results of the two year arm have in the past been promised at particular conferences and then not materialised. It would be nice if this time something came out regarding the effectiveness.
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Old 04-26-2010, 01:05 PM   #6
weety
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

That info really leads me to believe that there must not be much difference over the 1 year. One would have to believe that if there was a tremendous difference, they would have started to recommend a 2nd year to at least the higher risk women. But, I guess we all still get to wait. . .
__________________
Diagnosed 7/09 with 7mm IDC ER weakly +, PR -, Her2+

TCH chemo 8/09-12/09

Ooph/hysterectomy 4/10

Started Femara 6/10

Completed year of herceptin 10/11

Zometa 1/11 (2X/yr for 2yrs)

Hopefully nothing else!!!!
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Old 05-13-2010, 10:23 PM   #7
pmm10414
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

When I ask my onc he said there is no way of knowing what the exact number of needed doses are, but he has me on a total of 64 12 with taxol and then 52 after surgery by itself.
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PATTY
FOUND MY TUMOR IN 11/08 AFTER CLEAR MAMMOGRAM ON 5/31/08
DX 12/09/2008 STAGE II
CHANGED TO STAGE IIIA AFTER MRI
SURGURY FOR TWO PET SCAN NODES IN CHEST NEGATIVE (DEC08)
AC (4 COMPLETE MAR09)
TAXOL HERCEPTIN (12 TREATMENTS COMPLETE IN JUN09 )
SURGERY IN JUN09 - COMPLETE RESPONSE (BOTH BREASTS NEG AND 9/9 LYMPH NODES NEG) NED
HERCEPTIN RESTARTED IN JUL09 WEEKLY UNTIL JUL10
PET SCAN - NEGATIVE DEC11 AND AUG09
BRAC - NEGATIVE SEP09
28 RADS COMPLETE SEP09
BONE SCAN - NEGATIVE MAR10
PET SCAN - NEGATIVE DEC11
PET SCAN - SARCOIDOSIS OCT11 thought cancer was back thank The Lord it is not they think!!!!!!
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Old 07-07-2010, 02:05 AM   #8
pibikay
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

My wife's Onc said that the usual course here is 9 doses of herceptin 450mg with a gap of 3 weeks between each dose that after the 6th or 9th a PET scan will be done and follow up decided
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PBK
huband of Hema
Metstatic Breast Cancer Stage 4
Left breast cauliflower 25x20cm
ossousmetstatis in vertbrae secondaries L4=L5secondary
nodules in both liver lobes secondary
Diagnosed 10th March 2010
ER/PR-ve
Her 2 neu +++
Taxotrne Zylotec started 16th March
Herceptin added 5th April.9th Herceptin over on 20th Sep '10.Started on Tykerb and Xeloda on 22nd Oct2010TYKERB 4 TAB A DAY XELODA 4 TAB A DAY ONE WEEK ON ONE WEEK OFFZoletrust infusion every 4 months.Lesion in Brain 3D CRT Radiation started on 1st Feb'12 for 20 days ,5 days a week for 4 weeks.Devloped a small lump in breast.Xeloda stopped from 11th April '12.On Taxol.After 3 cycles of Taxol Taxol stopped.Back to Xeloda regime from 3rd July
Herceptin started again on 27th Dec 2012.Xeloda stopped Navelbin added on 7th February 2013.Now on Tykerb Herceptin and Navelbin
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Old 08-12-2010, 04:04 AM   #9
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

Do not assume that bcs there is no word on 1 year vs 2 years of Herceptin that 2 years is not better. Since there is no word yet it makes me believe that 2 years is better, but they are trying to weigh if the gain is worth the extreemely high cost of the treatment. After all, if it did not show any benefit, it would have been reported. In medicine, there is always a cost vs benefit analysis.
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Old 08-12-2010, 04:19 AM   #10
pibikay
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

My wifes Onc also feels that there is no benefit comparable to the cost for continuing Hereceptin and he is going to switch over to Tykerb for a year
__________________
PBK
huband of Hema
Metstatic Breast Cancer Stage 4
Left breast cauliflower 25x20cm
ossousmetstatis in vertbrae secondaries L4=L5secondary
nodules in both liver lobes secondary
Diagnosed 10th March 2010
ER/PR-ve
Her 2 neu +++
Taxotrne Zylotec started 16th March
Herceptin added 5th April.9th Herceptin over on 20th Sep '10.Started on Tykerb and Xeloda on 22nd Oct2010TYKERB 4 TAB A DAY XELODA 4 TAB A DAY ONE WEEK ON ONE WEEK OFFZoletrust infusion every 4 months.Lesion in Brain 3D CRT Radiation started on 1st Feb'12 for 20 days ,5 days a week for 4 weeks.Devloped a small lump in breast.Xeloda stopped from 11th April '12.On Taxol.After 3 cycles of Taxol Taxol stopped.Back to Xeloda regime from 3rd July
Herceptin started again on 27th Dec 2012.Xeloda stopped Navelbin added on 7th February 2013.Now on Tykerb Herceptin and Navelbin
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Old 08-12-2010, 10:31 AM   #11
das
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

I have heard of two trials comparing herceptin for 6 months vs 12 months, one in Britain (Persephone; NCT00712140) and one in France (PHARE; NCT00381901). Has anyone seen any preliminary results from these trials?
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IDC 6/2010
ER+PR+HER2+
Lumpectomy & SNB
0/2 nodes
2.7cm
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Old 09-30-2010, 06:07 PM   #12
v-ness
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

in this study of herceptin for 2 years versus 1, does anyone know who it is aimed at? i've assumed everyone in at least stage 4 automatically had herceptin for as long as it was thought to work (years), so i am curious if it's geared toward early stage. i am about to have my last herceptin october 14th and then wanted my port out, but now this gives me food for thought. something to ask the oncologist about. thanks, valerie
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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Old 10-01-2010, 08:53 AM   #13
das
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

Dear v-ness, I was reading your bio and you are the first person that I have seen who had an Oncotype done and was HER2+. I didn't have one done because I guess it was obvious that I needed chemo but I have always wondered what range it would fall into.
I also found my own tumor about a year after a 'clean' mammo. I had an itch and found a tumor. Cancer definitely sucks!
Congrats on completing your first line treatment. Are you post-menopausal? Could you use an AI instead of tamox?
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IDC 6/2010
ER+PR+HER2+
Lumpectomy & SNB
0/2 nodes
2.7cm
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Old 10-01-2010, 10:01 AM   #14
v-ness
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

hi das.

yes, i do appear to be a rare bird having the oncotype done while HER2+ but i did not think the test was simply to determine whether one should have chemo or not. that i was having chemo was a given and i wanted it. perhaps i am mistaken, but i believe that since it is done on a molecular level you also get the benefit of knowing how likely your own personal cancer is to recur. i thought that valuable. perhaps more HER2's should be oncotyped, and maybe cost is yet another one of those factors on why they don't do it. while i was shocked at the 56, i am also glad i have all my information.

you said your tumor itched and i believe mine did too! a friend of mine has a dog who licked her head for 2 months straight after chemo - first time it ever did that. well, damned if she didn't have brain mets. once they were zapped the dog has stopped licking her head. so much we don't know about cancer....

i was not post-menopausal when treatment started last october although i had a partial hysterectomy the january before. chemo plunged me into it. i just had my other ovary out in august because of my mom's ovarian cancer tumor death. too scary for comfort. so now i am post-menopausal BUT my oncologist dismayed me by saying i still have to stay on tamoxifen until april, the full year. since i am pretty much managing the bloody hot flashes with effexor, i am just going along with it. i also get cold flashes, which i never knew existed before. sucks to get old, as my husband used to say.

thanks on the congratulations, it means a lot. in a world without my husband or mom anymore i've found i reach out to a lot wider circle of people than i ever did before for moral support. good luck to you in your treatment, may it go as well as mine. valerie
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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Old 10-01-2010, 12:43 PM   #15
Becky
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

Valerie

The 2 yrs of Herceptin versus 1 yr is part of the HERA trial which was an early bc trial done in Europe.

In that trial women were randomized AFTER adjuvant chemotherapy to one of three arms. These arms were no Herceptin, 1 yr of Herceptin or 2 yrs of Herceptin. Any chemo was acceptable but chemo and radiation had to be completed before starting the Herceptin.

The one year of Herceptin (versus no Herceptin) results were announced at ASCO May 2005 when the USA trials were announced - the spectacular results which resulted in women (like you) getting one year of Herceptin. This is started with chemotherapy because that's how the trials were done here in the USA (and ultimately, although Herceptin works very, very well when given after chemo, it does work better when started with chemo). The HERA one yr results were the same as the USA results even though HERA's Herceptin was given afterwards. The explanation for this is that there was no criteria on the kind of chemo a woman got. The only criteria for HERA was either positive nodes or a tumor larger than 1cm. Many European women did receive more inferior chemo (like CMF for example) so they benefited more than women getting FEC, AC and/or a taxane.

The 2 yrs of Herceptin arm is not over yet and the results of 1 yr vs 2 yrs is not analyzed for statistical differences yet (and remember, it is only valid for those getting Herceptin after chemo and/or rads). No one knows what 2 yrs of Herceptin would do if one got Herceptin with chemo and if there would be a difference vs 1 yr Herceptin starting with chemo.

My impression is that there will be little difference upfront but perhaps over time, there might be (such as taking Tamoxifen or an AI - they had to have done trials to say that 5 yrs is best).

It will be very interesting to see those 2 yr results and it will also be interesting to see the 6 months vs 12 months results.
__________________
Kind regards

Becky

Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia

NED 18 years!

Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
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Old 10-08-2010, 12:48 PM   #16
v-ness
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Location: western ma
Posts: 280
Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

thank you for the informative post, becky. v
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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Old 10-17-2010, 04:56 PM   #17
weety
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Re: 2 years vs. 1 year on Herceptin

Anyone know how much longer we might have to wait for any info on this 2-yr trial? I think the trial is over 5 yrs out now (I believe it's in the 6th year?) so I'm just curious when we might hear about that 3rd arm. I would assume soon???
__________________
Diagnosed 7/09 with 7mm IDC ER weakly +, PR -, Her2+

TCH chemo 8/09-12/09

Ooph/hysterectomy 4/10

Started Femara 6/10

Completed year of herceptin 10/11

Zometa 1/11 (2X/yr for 2yrs)

Hopefully nothing else!!!!
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