Herceptin
The type of breast cancer I was diagnosed with can be found under info on my cancer
Herceptin is currently only funded for 9 weeks in New Zealand. Where as clinical studies show if you take it for the whole 12mths it gives you a better chance of making a full recovery. It is funded in 24 OCED countries (over seas developed countires) but not NZ.
About Herceptin
Herceptin is the only HER2-targeted therapy with approved indications in both the adjuvant and metastatic settings.
Herceptin, as part of a treatment regimen containing doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel, is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-overexpressing, node-positive breast cancer.
Herceptin as a single agent is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer whose tumors overexpress the HER2 protein and who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for their metastatic disease.
Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is indicated for treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer whose tumors overexpress the HER2 protein and who have not received chemotherapy for their metastatic disease.
About HER-2 positive receptor
- HER2+ breast cancer is an especially aggressive form of the disease
- Patients with HER2+ disease experience inferior survival and reduced response to chemotherapy and hormonal therapy
What is Her-2 Positive? : the cancer is the result of oncogene overexpression. (Her-2 positive)
Your doctors will also try to measure proteins "secreted" (or produced) by the breast cancer cells. They are looking for something called oncogene overexpression or amplification. Oncogenes are bits of genetic information inside the body's cells that usually work to protect us from cancer, by keeping cell growth in check.
Oncogene overexpression happens when an oncogene (such as the one called HER2/neu) malfunctions and "overexpresses" itself (like screaming instead of talking) by making excess normal or abnormal proteins and receptors. This can lead to cancer. Cancers that result from overexpressed oncogenes such as HER2/neu tend to be more nasty or belligerent and are more likely to recur than other cancers. They also may respond to different types of treatment than other breast cancers.
