Additional treatment for ER/PR-negatives?
Meet the Experts
Kathy D. Miller, M.D. is associate professor of medical oncology at Indiana University, and a Sheila D. Ward Scholar.
Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.
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 GMurray: Even though a young woman is not a candidate for either tamoxifen or Herceptin, is there any other protective drug she could go on following her treatments of mastectomy surgery, aggressive chemotherapy, and aggressive radiation?
- Answers —Kathy Miller, M.D.: At this point, no. If you've completed your surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for a tumor that is ER/PR- and HER2-negative, you have completed all your therapy. There are several drugs in clinical trial that may be options in the future if those drugs are successful.
- Jennifer Armstrong, M.D.: For women who are in such a position and are interested in consideration of other strategies, I highly recommend you talk with your physician on consideration of protocols that may be investigating such agents. Among them are vaccine trials, and your doctor can help coordinate your learning more about what may be open to you. For most women, I think Dr. Miller's earlier points are very important in that it can be very helpful to understand how much you've already done, and to feel confident that you've availed yourself of every option we currently understand to be helpful.
On Wednesday, November 19, 2005, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Hormone-Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer. Kathy D. Miller, M.D., Marisa Weiss, M.D., and moderator Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. answered your questions about a wide range of issues related to hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer.
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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