HER2 positive

Morning Mrsmagoo , I am ER and HER2 positive . I have just started my chemo - I had a19mm invasive ductal cancer, with high grade DCIS, 39mm, successful clearance and no node involvement. 
I am 57,  and having 3 x Epirubicin with 3x cyclophosphamide 

followed by 3 Docetaxel with Trastuzumab (Herceptin), I have been advised the Herceptin for 6/12 and this is the response from my oncologist- as I had originally been told 12/12 and then changed to 6/12. I hope this is useful, but keep asking until you are ok with your treatment plan. Hopefully less cardio toxicity from 6/12 rather than 12/12. My understanding is that the HER2 protein makes it a more aggressive form and I was grade 3 , so aggressive end of the spectrum, so I accepted chemotherapy/ Herceptin into my plan. 
Followed by radiotherapy and the oestrogen lowering medication and bisphosphanates to follow. 

This is based on data from a large clinical trial called Persephone which  demonstrated no benefit from 12m herceptin v 6m herceptin in patients with cancers <3cm which were node negative

NICE has not updated it guidelines to reflect this trial yet but it is UK practice and certainly the practice at the Christie.

Xx

 Mrsmagoo , the bold is from my oncologist x

Hi Mrsmagoo, I too was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer but I had lymph node involvement. I have just finished 8 rounds of chemo and am now on radiotherapy. I am having a year of Phesgo injections every 3 weeks plus hormone treatment for 5 years. 

Reoccurrence is a worrying thing but we are all so different it is possibly hard to say. I’m just taking what I is offered as I don’t have any medical background and I trust in my medical team that they are doing everything possible to help prevent reoccurrence.

I’ve read a few articles and found these sites which might be of interest 

www.breastcancer.org/.../20091104

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8733169/#:~:text=However%2C%2020%25%20of%20patients%20with,6%5D%2C%20%5B7%5D.

Wishing you all the best with your journey

Hugs from cuffcake x x x x x

Hi Mrsmagoo  my story on profile if you want to read .

Ive finished treatment  ..I had 12month Herceptin but know that new research suggests 6 month can be enough ( all depending on your plan etc ) 

I asked what did Herceptin do ? The answer from Onco was with HER2 there was 50% risk of recurrence within 3yr this was reduced to 20% after Herceptin . 
I’m now 4yr after diagnosis and there are others whom are ahead of me .

good luck with rest of treatment