How Lucky I was

December 24th 2001
Just 5 short years ago, if you were dignosed as HER2+, your oncologist would tell you "your cancer is aggresive and your prognosis is poor". If you were stage I to III, you had to wait for a recurrence before he would give you Herceptin. There was a myth that it caused heart attacks. In 2001, if you were diagnosed with brain mets, your survival was measured in months. There was very little information on HER2, Herceptin, or metastatic breast cancer on the internet.Today, thanks to dedicated researchers we have turned the corner. Women who are HER2 positive now have a better prognosis than those that aren't. Tykerb another targeted therapy drug should be approved by the FDA in February. Great strides in HER2 vaccines are being made at Walter-Reed Medical Center and at the University of Washington. There are many new compounds in the laboratory ready to enter Phase I trials.

The above was posted on one of the message boards that I frequent. It is amazing how far the treatment of my type of breast cancer has come. I am HER2+ as well at Estrogen and Progesterone positive. After I had my mastectomy my surgeon told us that I was both lucky and unlucky. Unlucky because I had one of the most aggressive cancers but lucky because new treatments, very good treatments, had just been developed. I am currently receiving the Herceptin that they talk about in the above.

Yet another reason to be thankful.