Q. I’ve been diagnosed with HER2-positive stage II breast cancer, and after surgery will be doing chemo (AC + T). After that’s done, my oncologist says I’ll be taking Herceptin. He called it a “targeted therapy.” What does that mean? Is it like tamoxifen?
A. Unlike tamoxifen, or the various aromatase inhibitors (Arimidex, Aromasin, Femara), Herceptin (trastuzumab) is NOT a hormone therapy drug. Instead, it’s called a targeted therapy (or immune targeted therapy). Targeted therapies...
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All HER2 Positive Breast Cancers Should Get Adjuvant Chemotherapy and...
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From the San Antonio Breast Conference in December, new data shows a higher than predicted rate of breast cancer recurrence even with very... Read more »
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I've been silent on my blog for a while - many busy weekends on call, many other professional commitments. Not much personal or family... Read more »
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New Studies: Cancer Deaths Decline Overall and Breast Density Linked...
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The headlines are full of the good news: Cancer deaths in the U.S. declined for the second straight year. According to the American Cancer... Read more »
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Breast Cancer: Talking to Children about Cancer and Death
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The last prayer said, the mourners began walking away from the graveside. Five-year-old Channing and nine-year-old Sara resisted leaving... Read more »
From Our Sources
Aspirin May Cut Death Risk After Breast Cancer
Breast cancer survivors who are on an aspirin regimen may be less likely to die or have a cancer recurrence, a new study has found. The study of... Read more »
Types of Breast Cancer: Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)
Background Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a relatively rare type of breast cancer grows in the lymph vessels of the skin of the breast. Because... Read more »
Herceptin+Tykerb may delay cancer's progress
A combination of the breast cancer drugs Herceptin and Tykerb may slow the progression of the disease, a recent study suggests. In a study of 300... Read more »
Many women not given the proper breast cancer test
A new study suggests that up to two-thirds of women may not be getting the right genetic tests for breast cancer. Researchers say the drug Herceptin... Read more »
Will Herceptin Work for You?
Source: Breastcancer.org
Herceptin may slow down or stop the growth of breast cancer in the 25% of people with metastatic disease who have tumors with too many copies of the... Read more »
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