Comments on carboplatin/taxotere w/herceptin. Option of combo w/Avastin (clinical trial)
Diagnosed 2 weeks ago, IDC, surgery 1 week ago (recovering well). T1b,N1a (1 of 9 positive), Mx. Estrogen 93%+, progesterone 62%+, HER2/neu+ (4.2 per FISH). Ki-67 unfav (51%), p53 fav (2%+)
PET/CT scans next week.
Oncologist proposes carboplatin and taxotere, 8 doses every 3 weeks, with herceptin once a week at the same time. Also have option of clinical trial of Avastin added to carboplatin and taxotere.
Followed by radiation, then Arimidex or Femara.
63 years old, excellent health otherwise, no medical issues or medications except vitamins, calcium, fish oil.
I'm a retired reference librarian and have learned an awful lot since the diagnosis.
Looking for any input or comment on this proposed regimen, especially the chemo.
You'll want to ask your oncologist to help you draw up a list of risks and benefits with each option. The Herceptin is a proven lifesaver for Her2 pos tumors like yours, so that's a definite plus. One clinical trial involving Avastin was recently halted because some of the women on it developed congestive heart failure. I don't know whether that was the trial your doctor was considering for you. The halted may have involved Avastin in combo with some other drug. Herceptin can also be hard on the heart, so your doctor will be monitoring you for heart problems regardless of which option you choose. The clinical evidence for the carboplatin/taxotere plus Herceptin is already in, so I'd be inclined to go with that. But I'm not an oncologist, and your doctor must have some good reasons for wanting you to consider the trial. It may come down to your own personality and whether you tend to like the tried and true or tend to prefer to try new things.
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Thank you for the quick reply. I got the paperwork for the clinical trials yesterday and haven't had time to read it, or to research the Avastin. My onc said Avastin is already being used with success in advanced stage cancers and the study is investigating whether it might add to the effectiveness of the "standard" carbo/taxo mix for earlier stage HER-2+ cancers as well.
I'll pay attention to the heart implications, especially with the Herceptin already posing an issue there. I don't have a family history of c/v problems and they'll be doing a MUGA scan before I start but I wouldn't want to add an unnecessary risk with questionable benefits.