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JessicaV's avatar
JessicaV
Member
12 years ago

Chemo/Herceptin for ER-v, PR-v, HER2+v Grade3 cancer

I would really love to hear what treatment regimes others have been put onto to deal with this type of tumor post mastectomy to prevent it spreading.

I have read that we get 12 months of Herceptin if our hearts can take it. So that is an injection every 3 weeks(?) plus a heart test every 3 months(?)

Additionally there may be some other Chemo given first for one or more cycles before starting Herceptin, either just one of the Anthracycline drugs like  Doxorubicin® or Epirubicin®or one of those combined with other chemo drugs.

If an Anthracyline is given for the first cycle, then in the second cycle I may start Herceptin, and if so my chemo from then on will consist of a different chemo drug, quite likely a Taxane drugs like Paclitaxel (Taxol®) ordocetaxel (Taxotere®) or one of them combined with other chemo drugs. How is this timetabled around the Herceptin?

How many cycles of chemo did/will you have for HER2pos breast cancer, and do you then just continue to have herceptin on its own after your x number of chemo cycles?

I realise it is up to my oncologist, and will be tailormade to me, but am wanting a rough idea what they have given others and what range of different regimes are common.

Thanks so much as always for taking the time to help me with my wonderings

 

3 Replies

  • Tania45's avatar
    Tania45
    Member
    12 years ago

    Hi Jessica,

    I'm still continuing herceptin for over 2 years now (since Sept 2011). But had stage 4 cancer and i will have to continue it untill it either became ineffective or my heart will fail. Did herceptin+abraxane for 4 month (weekly abraxane, 3weekly herceptin coinsided with chemo one after another) ,then change abraxane to docetaxel 3-weekly because i have got significant numbness in my fingers/toes and double vision. That 3 weekly chemo+herceptin was for another 6 month. Every 3 month heart scan to see how oyur valves go on.

    I guess if your oncologist will stop herceptin after some time, he will continue to monitor you with periodic Ca15.3 tumor markers blood test and periodic CT scan to check for any suspected metastases. If anything pops up suspicios, you are back to herceptin.

  • Tania45's avatar
    Tania45
    Member
    12 years ago

    Hi Jessica,

    I'm still continuing herceptin for over 2 years now (since Sept 2011). But had stage 4 cancer and i will have to continue it untill it either became ineffective or my heart will fail. Did herceptin+abraxane for 4 month (weekly abraxane, 3weekly herceptin coinsided with chemo one after another) ,then change abraxane to docetaxel 3-weekly because i have got significant numbness in my fingers/toes and double vision. That 3 weekly chemo+herceptin was for another 6 month. Every 3 month heart scan to see how oyur valves go on.

    I guess if your oncologist will stop herceptin after some time, he will continue to monitor you with periodic Ca15.3 tumor markers blood test and periodic CT scan to check for any suspected metastases. If anything pops up suspicios, you are back to herceptin.

  • JessicaV's avatar
    JessicaV
    Member
    12 years ago

    It must be hard watching your pregnant daughter going through all of that. She must be quite a woman. As you say, whatever one thinks comes next is likely to change unexpectedly. Allowing for that and not getting disheartened by it  is one of the skills I am trying to learn. Many thanks

    Jessica