Herceptin okay to take alone after chemo?
Meet the Experts
Hope S. Rugo, M.D. is a clinical professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she directs the Breast Oncology Clinical Trials Program.
Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. is a breast cancer oncologist at Paoli Hematology-Oncology Associates in Paoli, Pa., with a special interest in physicians' communication skills.
Question from Gina: I heard about Herceptin for early stage HER2-positive disease with chemotherapy. What about for those who are early stage HER2-positive who have completed chemotherapy? Is Herceptin now being recommended to be taken alone and if yes, for how long?
- Answer —Hope Rugo, M.D.: That's a very good question. However, I think it's a short term question, as women who are starting treatment today or are currently on treatment will get Herceptin. Women who have completed treatment within six to 12 months can reasonably be offered Herceptin. I would not give more chemotherapy in order to give the Herceptin with chemotherapy.
I think a reasonable approach would be to give Herceptin every three weeks for one year. The only exception would be a patient who had very early or low risk disease. If a woman has a very small tumor that is hormone-receptor positive, they would not have qualified for any of the adjuvant trials. We don't know if the addition of Herceptin is helpful because the risk of recurrence is very low and there are side effects from Herceptin. When you balance it out, the risk vs. benefit ratio may not be towards benefit.
On Wednesday, June 15, 2005 our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Updates from the 2005 ASCO Annual Meeting. Hope Rugo, M.D. and moderator Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. answered your questions on the latest research advances presented at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando, FL.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
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