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Hi Vicki and Merridith - I just got back this evening from yet another trip to Seattle - touring the UW campus and residence halls with my twin sons who will be freshmen there this fall!
I'll try to answer your questions here:
I'm her2 3+, grade 3/3/3 on the Rich.-Bloom scale, er-, pr-, vascular invasion, and extensive necrosis (dead cells in tumor, apparently a sign of rapidly reproducing cells).
The trial I'm in is for a vaccine for her2 positive cancer, not herceptin. Originally you had to have 4 or mode +ve nodes, but they changed it to "any number" - I guess this doesn't include 0 nodes (but Andrea York at UW would know).
When I first researched this I read an article by a doctor on the east coast who had 6 her2 +ve patients, all on herceptin in trial and all who progressed with brain mets. I'll see if I can find a copy of this. HOWEVER, this is the only info. I've read like this - herceptin does appear to help more than it harms, and my oncologist is also of the opinion that the herceptin keeps people alive longer, hence the progression. But no knows for sure yet; this is also the case with becoming "immune" - I've read of a number of cases where the herceptin stops working, but again, doctors aren't sure why. I know all the chemos that initially were for mets, are now used successfully as first line treament. Hopefully Herceptin will be like this too, but it is quite different from other chemos, and I just wasn't ready to commit to more treatment. I really stayed healthy and active during chemo and radiation, and felt my body wanted the chance to keep fighting on its own.
As this is a really long post, I'll write another one with my supplements tomorrow - I'm at work now, and I'll have to check my list!
Marianne
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