Anyone having Perjeta for early breast cancer ?

If I had any kind of HER2+ cancer at any stage I would be trying to see if Perjeta might be a possibility as it increases the likelihood of a pathological complete response which in turn improves survival chances. However it might not be indicated in some circumstances and might not be possible to get it without paying for it. It might be overkill for some smaller cancers without lymph involvement if Herceptin alone could have similar results. I know that I was lucky to get it and I would like anyone who could benefit from it to also get it.

I am still hoping for the pathological complete response, however given the findings of the Katherine trial it seems that it is not the end of the world if there is residual cancer, as Kadcyla (if it can be got) greatly improves survival and decreases recurrence outcomes. Hopefully that should mean that it will be added on the PBS for HER2+ EBC where neoadjuvant treatment has not fully knocked over the cancer. 

Katherine Trial:
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1814017

"Among patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who had residual invasive disease after completion of neoadjuvant therapy, the risk of recurrence of invasive breast cancer or death was 50% lower with adjuvant T-DM1 than with trastuzumab alone."

I read far too many oncology journal articles these days! Thanks for wishing me luck. we all need a bit!

@kabash my onc also mentioned Kadcyla was a drug showing lots of promise. But not PBS either. It gives me some comfort that there are some great drugs coming through in case of recurrence.
I had heard that about Perjeta too, your husband sounds like he has the same sense of humour as mine  :D
Good luck with things. x

I had Perjeta along with Herceptin and Taxol for four doses. This neoadjuvant therapy seemed to work pretty well on my cancer after AC did nothing much. It is only on the PBS for stage 4 as far as I know but I got it through a compassionate program where the drug company and the hospital split the bill. I think this is because my cancer is HER2+ inflammatory breast cancer which has a particularly bad prognosis and is very aggressive. So to boost my survival chances they applied for this. I’m not sure if it is also indicated for node positive non-IBC HER2+ early breast cancer. I have just had my mastectomy so I still don’t know if I had a complete response but I was responding well early on so hopefully it has helped in the fight. I know that the drug that I would want to get if there is residual disease is Kadcyla. Again it’s not on the PBS for early breast cancer but if I need it I am going to hope they will do the same compassionate application thing or otherwise I will just somehow pay for it. Perjeta gave me bad diarrhoea exactly two weeks after each dose for a few days. Also would get it as it was administered from second dose on. My husband said the name is highly accurate because it has purge in it and would call it silly names like purgeatron in an attempt to find humour in the situation. 

@Sandes not sure if PBS rules indicate Perjeta for early BC, perhaps why not offered in Australia other than for metastatic bc - maybe something to check. All the best x

Thanks @sandes and @afraser
This forum is excellent for sharing information.

Re the DIEP, I forgot to mention,  that it is also used in case the woman does not want to use implants for reconstrunction. However, there are limitations, you cannot be skinny (the surgeon told me to have plenty of cakes and ice-cream months before the surgery  :)  and they check your abdomen blood vessels to see if all is OK.

Hi @Sandes
I think that's a great topic to raise here.
I was also diagnosed in April, and asked my Oncologist at our first meeting about Perjeta but she says (and I asked her again recently) that because I am node negative and smallish tumour that it isn't indicated or subsidised. 
I am interested in Nerlynx (Neratinib) too but again I think this is reserved in Australia for advanced disease. She has some patients who are six years with Herceptin and Perjeta to control metastatic disease which they were diagnosed with from the start. I'm happy for you to DM me if you want to talk more.
One or the other is subsidised but again this is for hormone related post Herceptin treatment and mine is only Her2.

Hi I had stage 2b her2+ and was given 4 doses of perjeta as well as 12months of herceptin. My med onc fought for me to have it free through an access program as its very expensive

It is the Free FLAP surgery where the surgeon reconstructs your breast(s) from the skin and fat of your  tummy (you get a tummy tuck-in in the process).  It is for people like me who could not have a skin sparing surgery as the skin was compromised by the cancer  There is a Facegroup support group specific for this surgery DIEP FLAP AUSTRALIA (there is another one, more international (most people are from USA, but best to stick to the Australian one).