Herceptin! Is there any other choice? like double mastectomy!?

Question

My sister had breast cancer last yr, they removed the lump and did chemo and radiotherapy! She has now been told she has the type of cancer that needs Herceptin! She is very anxious not to have herceptin cos of poss side effects, eg Heart damage! Also she doesn't want to go back to the hosp she had all her chemo at as it makes her so anxious! She is considering a double mastectomy as she is hoping this will be as effective as having herceptin! Anyone had a simular problem, she will discuss with consultant next week, but we would love your help ! Thanks oh and she was 39 last yr when diagnosed, and really doesn't care about a double mastectomy!

Answer 1

I'm sorry to hear about your sister's breast cancer. From what you've said, it sounds like her original tumor may have come back and has HER2/neu overexpression. I take it that it must have come back in the breast if she's considering mastectomy; that would be the best choice if it came back in the same breast and then consider Herceptin or other medications afterwards.

If in fact she's simply continuing treatment from her original tumor, then Herceptin does have some cardiac risk but so does some types of chemotherapy. From my experience, women taking Herceptin are routinely monitored with echocardiograms to stop the drug if it starts showing signs of making cardiac function worse. In the U.S. Herceptin is usually given for a year, but a study from Finland (I think was published in the New England Journal of Medicine within the last 2-3 years suggesting that a shorter course of Herceptin may be just as effective with less risk. However, I don't think that mastectomy will address the risk of recurrence the way Herceptin will so ask her doctor the pros and cons of both approaches.

best of luck to your sister!

Answer 2

The goal of adjuvant therapy such as the kind she's received is to try to control microscopic disease that may have spread outside of the original tumor. Depending on the size and the nature of the cancer cells, there is a possibility that individual cancer cells may have left the breast and is floating around the body. If that's the case, removing the breast or even the other breast will do nothing to control these microscopic tumor cells. That's why treatment with chemo, radiation, and sometimes Herceptin is necessary.

There is no guarantee that these treatments will prevent cancer from coming back, and there's no saying that not doing getting these treatments will cause the cancer to come back. But based on the studies that have been done on breast cancer, we know these therapies decrease the chances of cancer returning. If your sister has the kind that is susceptible to Herceptin, then it usually means it's the type that is otherwise more malignant and has higher chance of relapse. She should speak to her doctors about her concerns and decide what's best for herself.

Answer 3

Your sister was prescribed Herceptin probably cause she was diagnosed with HER2/neu (erbB2) receptor (gene marker) positive.

As of March 13, 2007, a new drug also acting on HER2/neu (erbB2) positive breast cancers was approved by the FDA. Lapatinib (trade name Tykerb). It works in conjunction with Herceptin. You should do some research about this drug and ask her doctor about it.

A double mastectomy is pretty radical considering if the breast cancer comes back it may not be in the breast.

I'm sure you realize cancer is a deadly ailment. The goal of her oncologist is to fix the immediate problem (breast cancer) and worry less about the potential future problems. You cannot treat a dead person. So, I believe they would tell you to do whatever you can to prevent recurrence of the cancer and they will deal with other problems if and when they arise.

Answer 4

Search for answers by looking outside of the medical field, in the area of alternative medicine. There are hundreds of methods to heal the body, and drugs only suppress the issue (not heal it). Most disease issues are internal because the blood carries toxins that accumulate in the body. The system needs to be cleansed (colon and liver especially), and given nutrition.

Cleansing the body is a method I've seen done many times with success and it doesn't matter how old you are. We must remove toxins. One strategy is detoxifying with herbs, water, and juice fasting. One must educate oneself.

"The Cure for All Cancers", ISBN 0963632825
"The Cure for All Advanced Cancers", ISBN 1890035165
"A Cancer Therapy", ISBN 0882681052
"Oxygen Therapies", ISBN 0962052701
"Hydrogen Peroxide--Medical Miracle", ISBN 1885236077
"The Natural Cure for Cancer--Germanium", ISBN 0533071410
"Killing Cancer", ISBN 0705000966
"Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About", ISBN 0975599518

There are many other good books about surviving this disease, and you should know about this option, even if you choose to go the traditional route with it's abysmal prognosis. Best of luck.

And watch this--you'll be glad you did. http://www.altcancer.com/vidgal.htm#hoxsey