TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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I thought this would be encouraging to triple positives who had to stop Herceptin early.
A subset analysis was done on the 6 month vs 1 year PHARE study; results were presented Friday at SABCS. Here is my understanding of what I read. As we know from the initial release, there was a trend in favor of treatment of 12 months for the entire study population. However, in the subset analysis, they found that EXCEPT for patients who are ER/PR- who had Herceptin AFTER chemo, there is no significant difference between 6 months and 12 months of treatment with trastuzumab. Note, however, they said it should be emphasized that these results of sub-groups analysis should be treated with caution; in fact, the study was not statistically designed to address this type of question.
Here is a link to the full press release - you may have to have google translate it into English. http://www.e-cancer.fr/toutes-les-actualites/7255#
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Is this being published in a journal dancetrancer? I can't make it translate...
Jenn0 -
I don't know Jenn. It doesn't say. I would expect eventually, but I can't find it if it is out there already. Here is the updated subgroup part translated from the web link I gave:
Professor Xavier Pivot presented the main results at the ESMO Congress last October. For the record, the statistical analysis could not conclude that the hypothesis of non-inferiority of arm 6 months compared to standard treatment . There is however a trend in favor of treatment of 12 months for the entire study population.
The sub-group analysis, presented in San Antonio December 7, 2012 by Professor Xavier Pivot, helped refine the conclusions of the study. It shows in particular that there exists within the population of patients enrolled in the trial, significant differences in terms of survival without relapse. Thus, patients with a tumor not overexpressing hormone receptors and estrogen for which trastuzumab is administered after the completion of chemotherapy (sequential) are more likely to relapse if they receive only 6 months of trastuzumab. This group represents 9% of the patients included in the study PHARE.
however, for all other subgroups of patients, there is no significant difference between 6 months and 12 months of treatment with trastuzumab whatever the mode of administration of the latter with chemotherapy. It should be emphasized that these results into sub-groups should be treated with caution, in fact, the study was not statistically designed to address this type of question. International studies courses and meta-analyzes with common PHARE, may, in the future, to validate these results.
Results also show the efficacy of adjuvant treatments carried out by the French centers with survival rates among the highest in this patient population: nearly 90% relapse-free survival at 3 years (85% at 5 years), 97% overall survival at 3 years (93% at 5 years). Median follow-up was 4 years.0 -
Cypher - here are the tanks - they're hard to find in the stores. The grey is easy to find - the black and white - difficult. I've only found one store that had the black and white in stock and that was at a Target on Redondo Beach Blvd.
Mossimo Long and Lean - currently $8.00.
Very comfortable. This is the one Omaz and TonLee recommend:
Editing to add a complete link for the search Mossimo Long and Lean
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im on herceptin as well. I get terrible joint ache 24 hours post herceptin. Then i keep taking aleve and it helps. However,i still have them. I have talked to the oncology nurses and they agree herceptin causes joint aches. With some of the infusions i also get GI effects. Just no appetite and stomach just doesn't feel right. Then i have alot of smelly stools and alot of gas as well. Right before my next treatment i am just about back to normal and then all hell breaks lose again. I am also on Tamoxifen. It caused joint aches at first and a headache but that has gotten much better.
It is just a wonderful ride :-)
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Wow, dancetrance, that's really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
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Cindy - have you aksed them to deliver the herceptin more slowly - that might help with the aches.
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Hmmm. This is kind of interesting...
'Chemo Brain' May Start Before Breast Cancer Tx
Excerpt:
The findings suggest that "chemo brain" is not the best way of thinking about what Cimprich called "cancer-related cognitive dysfunction."
Instead, the effect is probably due at least partly to the stress and fatigue associated with a cancer diagnosis and could be alleviated by interventions aimed at reducing fatigue, she suggested.
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Hi ladies!
I highly recommend the buffs (here's the USA site http://www.buffusa.com/sports/). I lived in them over the spring/summer. They are light, versatile, sporty and fun! And no more expensive than scarves or hats. Lee before you buy any - when we get together you can check out the ones I have and if you like any of them they're yours! I had fun with color and patterns so they might not be for you
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Coming back to my Triple + sisters with a question. I'm two years out from diagnosis next month. I'm taking Tamoxifen, working out and feeling great...except for hip pain.
I see my onc on Dec 20 - 6 month mammo, labs, that sort of thing. I've never had scans of any type.
My hip has been bothering me for 3 months. Generally it is fine walking around and exercising. I workout 4+ days a week, two with a trainer. But I am overweight. I have gained weight in the past 3 months and I'm working hard to get it off now. Anyhow, my hip hurst when I sit with my leg pulled under me - like right ankle under my left knee. I notice it when I'm going up stairs. The worst time is at night when I'm lying in bed. I try not to sleep on the right side but sometimes I wake up on it anyhow. But even when I sleep on my left side, if I don't use a body pillow between my legs and all the way to my ankle, the hip hurts. Sometimes all the way to my ankle.
Things that have been suggested to me by my family doctor are bursistis and IT Band injury. I have a foam roller that I use nad it might help some. Hard to tell for sure.
Does anyone have experience with either of those things? Of course, my mind immediately goes to scarey places.
I'm even hesitating about bringing it up to my onc. *sigh*
FWIW, I just turned 37. It's just in one hip.0 -
Hi pejkug3:
It could be any number of things but I do think you need to tell your onc and he/she will most probably order a bone scan which you should have to rule out the scary things. Anything that persists pain-wise more than a few weeks needs to be reported to your onc. Its a pain in the butt to have to deal with it but it has to be dealt with. I had persistent rib pain for over a month, told the onc, had the bone scan and it was neg. Pain went away after a couple of months. It felt good to rule out the scary stuff cause it was keeping me up at night
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Hi Relda!
I want to make absolutely sure cypher sees this so I'm going to put it in bold:
RELDA: I had persistent rib pain for over a month, told the onc, had the bone scan and it was neg.
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Also, thanks for the offer on the buffs. You're so kind! I bought a plain gray hat-like/pseudo-turban thing at The Appearance Center yesterday.
Also, I noticed that there's a Cold Caps freezer at the infusion center... it's very tempting...
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pejkug3 - I've had hip pain on and off since I was pregnant with my son 25 years ago. Last year I was going to the chiropractor 1-3 times per week.
We ended up buying an inversion table which really helped but even more than that, what's helped me the most is Curcumin/C3/with Bioperine. No other supplement has ever had such a profound effect on the pain but it makes sense because it's an anti-inflammatory. I no longer go to the chiropractor. I once had a cortisone shot that worked somewhat - then a second shot that didn't help at all. Alleve helps but it's merely masking the pain. The curcumin is addressing the real problem (plus, it's been shown to induce breast cancer cell death/apoptosis).
I only use one brand of Curcumin but I don't know if it's okay to use brand names here...I guess it is - since we're talking about brands of tank tops, etc. Anyway, given that - the brand I use is
Doctor's Best Curcumin C3 Complex with BioPerine (500 Mg)
Editing to add:
You should definitely speak with your oncologist before taking it because I don't know how it interacts with Herceptin. When I asked the oncologist about it his reply was no during chemo.
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Wow Lee. Thanks for this post. I'll be getting it tomorrow. I'm all finished with treatments so can't see where any problems could arise.
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I too have the rib pain and it is on the same side as my surgery and thus my radiation. Doctor sent me for an xray...not sure why xray versus scan. Negative. I think it is a result of the radiation. Who knows!
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Arlene - I hope it works for you.
The reason I started taking it was because I had read that curcumin can kill off breast cancer cells.
I had taken plain old Turmeric in the past and all it did was constipate me (ugh) but someone on another message board where I post recommended this brand and said it was the only product that has kept his rheumatoid arthritis in check.
I think I've posted this before but when I had to go off of it for a week prior to surgery my longstanding hip pain came back with a vengeance! I had been taking about 3-4 per day from the end of July through the week preceding the surgery. Now, I've stopped again because of this tissue expander surgery yesterday.
I need to find out whether or not it can be taken during Herceptin. Re: during chemo - I'm hoping it can be taken at some point through the three-week cycle.
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Arlene, in case you haven't seen this:
Curcumin Halts Spread of Breast Cancer in Mice
Also this:
Can Turmeric Relieve Pain? One Doctor's Opinion
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1910028,00.html
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Thanks so much Lee. I'm definitely giving it a try. I have arthritis in my right hip (everything happens on my right side)..
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pejkug3, your symptoms sound most likely what your primary doc said - with additional possibilities being sacroiliac dysfunction or sciatica/piriformis syndrome. It is an encouraging sign that it goes away with activity, can be brought on with specific positions, and isn't constant. However, given our histories, it is always prudent to tell your onc and have your fears that it is something worse allayed via appropriate testing. Once that is done, I would recommend asking your doc about a physical therapy referral.
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LeeA, you mentioned being tempted by the cold caps. if you haven't already seen it, there is a cold cap users thread under "help me get through treatment". I ended up reading the whole thread which took me about 3 weeks...so much helpful information there, and lots of former users continue to chime in and answer questions. I just finished my chemo yesterday and used cold caps for 12 weekly treatments. I am SO glad I did. For me it was the right decision and helped me to feel more in control through the whole thing. Dancetrancer also used cold caps. My facility had the freezer, which makes using the caps a lot easier than hauling dry ice each time. If you have questions go on over to the cold caps thread.
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Arlene - everything happens on my left side. That is, until this infection popped up in what used to be my right breast.
Hip pain - left
Breast cancer - left
Acne - typically worse on the left
Headaches - typically on the left side
(I'm right-handed - not sure if that has anything to do with it)
Anyway, I hope you can find some relief with the curcumin.
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Thanks for the tip, PatinMN.
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Lee - thanks for the links - I hadn't been able to find curcumin in capsules here, but should be able to get some from Biovea. I would love to be able to stop my anti inflammataries.
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Lee: If you have the opportunity to do the cold caps, DO IT! I've never regretted it and I didn't use the Penquins.
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Pej,
You may be experiencing an over-use injury. You said you're working out a lot. Are you post-menopausal? Are you still producing estrogen? The reason I ask is:
1. My right hip kills me if I sleep on it. Wakes me up it gets so painful.
2. This started shortly after my Ooph. I attribute it to lack of estrogen.
Mine hasn't gotten worse, but is pretty consistent.
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suzieq60 - what I've found is that the addition of pepper apparently makes the difference.
Are you able to order from Amazon? That's where we buy it.
I just googled Amazon and Australia and found this page:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=596190
iherb is always a good place to read reviews - typically more reviews than Amazon - here's a link to 156 reviews. Just skimming quickly I saw a few mentions of cancer prevention. I don't know if iherb ships to Australia but Amazon is less expensive right now for the same product.
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Lee - I get melatonin from Biovea - not sold here at all as it's not approved. We can import for personal use only. I'll look at Amazon too.
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LeeA, that doesn’t surprise me, I found that I was really ditsy and forgetful prior to starting chemo, I think it must have just been all the stress and emotional distress.
Pjkug3—have it checked out, and I don’t know anything about bone mets, but it doesn’t sound like that to me. I had kind of an achiness in my shoulder a lot. I was a side sleeper. I finally got a softer bed and it went away. Cheer up, you’re not too young to have a little arthritis!
LeeA, you should think about the cold caps! That makes it easier if they already have a freezer. One thing that’s nice about it is that when you’re done with chemo, you’re DONE. I mean I have to draw in my eyebrows but I have a full head of hair. And thanks for putting that in boldface. MO isn’t too eager to give me scans b/c he says that you can get cancer secondarily from having too many scans, and I’m still pretty young, as these things go. I have an appointment with him next week if I’m still feeling it. I feel like it’s more likely to just be some random GI irritation from all the poison.
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Pej....get it checked, but I am guessing it is tamoxifen related. My hips hurt off and on and doesn't seem to be related to exercise. Last winter when it was cold and we were outside for the Super Bowl events, they started to ache so badly I didn't think I was going to be able to keep walking around. It got better when I warmed up. They will ache when I get out of bed in the middle of the night also.
I've had scans and nothing is there. Onc thinks it is related to estrogen and tamoxifen also.0 -
Oh...also to the ten year tamoxifen report.....those were premenopausal women. They aren't sure about AI's and post meno women. Need more studies.
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