The big lump - part II

ritawaite13

We saw the doctor yesterday and didn't get the news we'd hoped for. They biopsied the lump on my husbands neck and it's cancer. We did find out that his cancer cells are HER2 receptors which makes him a good candidate for Herceptin. I know I've seen that drug on here before but I'm asking for some input on this. Good? Bad? Indifferent? Side Effects? I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that I've found this site. You folks are such a wealth of information and SO SO supportive. Thank you all so much!
Rita

chemosmoker

Good news, I think.....
Rita,
Maybe not great news, but sure is good to KNOW both of those things and not be in limbo!!
Michelle can post a lot of good information about HER2+ she taught me what I do know.
I know that Herceptin makes the other chemo drugs much more effective against the aggressive nature of the EC cancer cells, and makes killing them MUCH more effective than just the chemo alone or if you are like me and HER2- or NEU.

I think that is great news. While is does mean the cancer is more aggressive of the two types, from what I have seen, those that can have Herceptin seem to respond much better to the chemo and killing those damn cancer cells faster. I hope this is the case. I will wait to see what the others who know much more about Herceptin post.

My prayers are with you. I am thinking about you both daily.
May God bless you and keep you both calm through this battle...

-Eric

LilChemoSmoker

Wealth of information....
Rita,

There have been some posts here about it and one in particular is by JaneE2366 on October 8th 2009. You can look through the history of posts on that date and find it. It can also be found by entering in this link: http://csn.cancer.org/node/177121

There is also much to be read on the internet about recent studies with Herceptin and the results are looking good! Here I have posted an article on recent study results and you can also find this information at the following link: http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/062811/page6

________________________________________________________________________________________

Adding Targeted Therapy to Treatment for Esophageal Cancer

Name of the Trial
Phase III Randomized Study of Radiotherapy, Paclitaxel, and Carboplatin with versus without Trastuzumab in Patients with HER2-Overexpressing Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (RTOG-1010). See the protocol summary.
Dr. Howard Safran Dr. Howard Safran

Principal Investigator
Dr. Howard Safran, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group

Why This Trial Is Important
Esophageal cancer that is confined to the esophagus and nearby lymph nodes (locally advanced disease) is often treated with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery (called trimodality therapy). Although trimodality therapy sometimes cures the disease, relapses are common, and many patients ultimately die from their disease. New strategies are needed to help prevent recurrences in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Samples of tumor tissue removed during biopsy or surgery indicate that about 20 percent to 30 percent of esophageal cancers express a growth factor receptor protein called HER2 (that is, the tumors are HER2 positive). Treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin), a drug that targets HER2, improves the survival of women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, and the drug markedly decreases cancer recurrence and improves the survival of women with earlier-stage HER2-expressing breast tumors. Doctors hope that trastuzumab may likewise reduce disease recurrence and improve the survival of people with HER2-positive esophageal cancer.

A recent phase III trial involving patients with advanced gastroesophageal and gastric cancers has bolstered the case for using trastuzumab in esophageal cancer. In that trial, patients with HER2-expressing tumors that could not be removed surgically (unresectable disease) were treated with chemotherapy and trastuzumab or with chemotherapy alone. Patients who received trastuzumab were more likely to respond to treatment and lived about 2.4 months longer.

In another trial, researchers at Brown University, led by Dr. Safran, conducted a pilot study of trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy followed by surgery in 19 patients with locally advanced HER2-positive esophageal cancer and showed that the combined therapy was safe. They now want to see if adding trastuzumab to potentially curative therapy will help patients avoid disease recurrence and death.

In this phase III clinical trial, people with confirmed HER2-positive locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the esophagus will be randomly assigned to receive preoperative radiation therapy and chemotherapy, with or without trastuzumab. Following surgery, patients assigned to the trastuzumab arm of the study will receive maintenance therapy with trastuzumab for 1 year. The study is designed to determine whether the addition of trastuzumab improves disease-free survival and overall survival.

"The recurrence rate in locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma is very high, and we can only cure about 25 percent of the patients we treat with trimodality therapy," said Dr. Safran. "In [HER2-positive] breast cancer, trastuzumab reduces recurrence by about 50 percent. So one would hope that, in patients with esophageal cancer, it will have that same reduction in recurrence."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Hope this helps Rita!

-Michelle

jim2011

lump speculation
At least you know now and a plan is already in place to deal with it. EC and other cancers are often mis-diagnosed because they are so rare. I ran into a guy at a support group who had a lump growing on his neck and he went and had it checked and was told it was not a big deal and would go away. It got bigger and he went to the ER because it hurt bad when his wife pushed down on it. Still sent away with no follow up. Then when he was on vacation in Mexico standing in line to pay for some food a doctor also on vacation and behind him in line noticed the lump and convinced him to fly that day back home and have it biopsied. You know it was not good news but it was news none the less and a plan was put in place to deal with it. This guy was at the support group and SUPER pissed off about the missed diagnoses but he is on the road to recovery.

ritawaite13

jim2011 said:

lump speculation
At least you know now and a plan is already in place to deal with it. EC and other cancers are often mis-diagnosed because they are so rare. I ran into a guy at a support group who had a lump growing on his neck and he went and had it checked and was told it was not a big deal and would go away. It got bigger and he went to the ER because it hurt bad when his wife pushed down on it. Still sent away with no follow up. Then when he was on vacation in Mexico standing in line to pay for some food a doctor also on vacation and behind him in line noticed the lump and convinced him to fly that day back home and have it biopsied. You know it was not good news but it was news none the less and a plan was put in place to deal with it. This guy was at the support group and SUPER pissed off about the missed diagnoses but he is on the road to recovery.

Thank you
Thank you all so much for your feedback. I think we'll be saying "YES" to Herceptin and praying it makes a difference. Michelle, I am absolutely blown away by your knowledge about all of this! You are my new hero!
Rita

LilChemoSmoker

ritawaite13 said:

Thank you
Thank you all so much for your feedback. I think we'll be saying "YES" to Herceptin and praying it makes a difference. Michelle, I am absolutely blown away by your knowledge about all of this! You are my new hero!
Rita

Aaaaw shucks! Head down sweeping the dirt with my shoe....
Rita,

Awwww thanks! You made my day! You go girl and spank those kiddos with that article and let them know that you don't have your head in the sand! You are strong and "choose" to buffer your psyche, and you are entitled to do so!!!

Lots of hugs and a BIG squeeze to you!
-Michelle