HER2 Negative

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This may be a daft question but i just got my results today & at my previous appt my consultant talked about Herceptin so i thought i must be HER2+. Today they told me im HER2 negative. Is this a good thing or a bad thing as i don’t really know anything about it? x

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I was HER2 Negative as well, so no herceptin as it wouldnt work…no receptors for the herceptin to stick to for it to do its job. I dont know much about it. All i had from my consultant was: you will get mastectomy, chemo, rads, tamoxifen, arimidex and herceptin…then after results came through that changed to…mastectomy, chemo, rads, tamoxifen & armidex…i asked about the herceptin and he said that as i was negative i didnt need it. So still none the wiser, but it was nice to be told exactly why i couldnt have it…so i could tell other people that it wouldnt do the job it was designed for as to why i wouldnt get it.

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Hi there being negative for her 2 is good. Because I had no lymth node or vascular invasion I was supposed to be having surgery, rads and tamoxifen. Once they found me to be her2 pos that all changed and am now having chemo and herceptin. I was told that the early stage, the size, grade and hormone positive bits were the “good” parts of my cancer, but the her2 pos was the bad bit as cancers with this are more aggressive. Thank god for Herceptin which gives the her2 cells a good bashing (hopefully) x

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I’m with SGL .

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ah right, well im happy that it’s good news to be negative & im also happy that Herceptin is available to zap the blighters when u are HER2 positive. SGL i can remember u saying u needed chemo etc & u were devastated, i guess thankfully Herception is a gold standard drug available to everyone now. I still have to have chemo due to me being young (49!!) & have microscopic node involvement even though i was told the same as u at the start with just surgery & rads x

buttons500, some consultants give u no info do they, mine is quite good but when she says ‘any questions’ i just go blank. I really need to write stuff down, i will be taking a list with me when i see the oncologist!x

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Hi all
i just got results today from a node that showed up in my mammogram and it was clear. Just reacting to whats going on.
I also found out im HER2 negative. Starting chemo in 2 weeks to shrink the lump having the treatment for 6 months, then surgery to remove the lump.
i still have a ct scan, mri and sentinial node test to go.
This all still scares the life out of me but i feel a bit more at ease knowing what it is i have and how its going to be treated and targeted.

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Hi there, just popping in from April thread to offer some reassurance- I also had surgery after chemo, felt the odd one out as everyone else seemed to be surgery then chemo, I had sentinel node biopsy and scans, no node involvement thankfully- I then had a coil marker put in tumour before chemo started and 6 sessions of Fec-T , after the first two blasts my lump shrank significantly and by the time they operated they couldn’t find tumour on scan, this is why they put in a marker, chemo was very effective, it isn’t pleasant but not as bad as you fear, I worked throughout and still had a normal life mostly( even going to the local pub!) it is doable! I have just finished 15 blasts of radiotherapy last week. Good luck with your treatment.?

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Ah thanks lovewine for that reassurance. Thats fantastic results for you. Im going to see the onc on wednesday where i think i’ll be told what a d how exactly i will be treated. I just want this thing out of me. Can i ask you how big was your lump?

Jo x

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I felt exactly the same, but once chemo starts you will feel much more settled- I promise you!, you will feel more pro active as there is something being done and hopefully you will feel your lump shrinking! My tumour at beginning was estimated at about 16mls and at the end it was 16mls of scar tissue, you will soon get into the routine of treatment and it’s not as bad as you are probably thinking it will be, the nurses are fantastic, please don’t put up with side effects as you really don’t need to! The anti sickness meds are very effective- ask for Emend if not given to you at first, it stops any sickness, same with mouth problems, there are very effective mouth washes that help!! Also try and do look good feel better course that’s available to all cancer patients and it’s so uplifting, not to mention the large bag of expensive cosmetics you come away with, you are shown how to apply make up etc and it’s very helpful ??. Please ask me anything if I can help, I found it really comforting talking to ladies a little further down the line when I started chemo! All the very best.

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Thanks lovewine that is a great help. I just wanna see and feel the progress. Im scared stiff itd spread as ive still got xray, mri and ct scan to go. I feel like my life has been taken away from me.
Im 36, newly married (i found out i had breast cancer the day after my wedding)3 children 3, 6 and 13 years old.
i was at the happiest point in my life and now it feels like its all crumbled. I just cant believe what is happening!

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It’s definitely a good thing to be HER2 negative.  HER2 positive cancers are much more aggressive.  Mine is HER2+ve and I’m on Herceptin for a year after chemo, just had 7th out of 18 doses - seems to be never ending!. 

best wishes x

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Hi Guys,

live just found out I have lubuor cancer her2 neg stage 2 to say I’m scared is an understatement I fly for a living and as you now it’s a glamorous job the one thing I’m worried about is loosing my hair and side affects of the chemo.

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I thought all along I was just having radio and nobody mentioned chemo and because
Lump had has been removed felt it would just be radiobug apparently I’m her2 positive all
A
Bit of a shock now as hadn’t got myself ready for this is it a long course of chemo just never hear anything nice about chemo so feel a bit scared

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Don’t know my way around this site how do I find that please

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Hi Chocolate ,are you looking for the chemo therapy monthly threads ? Go to the going through treatment section , then chemotherapy then chemotherapy monthly threads and introduce yourself .If you have questions you could post on any of the current threads where ladies are already going through treatment .When do you start your chemo ?