Cancer societies are backed by Drug Companies, and Cancer Societies use women’s stories to lobby for funding for drugs.

Women around the world are demanding the right for the drug Herceptin.  The new drug that will cure breast cancer!   Governments are holding back, and limiting who will be funded for this drug.  People are outraged.  However, this drug is not the most miraculous miracle.

Herceptin, also called Trastuzumab, is usually given to women after the regular chemo and surgery are finished.  This could be 6 – 9 months after the treatments start.

It is only given to women whose tumours are Her-2 postive because it is only effective on this form of breast cancer.  They determine this by analysing the tissue from a biopsy, or surgery.  Her-2 postive cancer is  more agressive then other forms of breast cancer.

The drug has serious possible side effects.  They will warn you that you may have a heart attack the first time you take it.  After that you  won’t likely have a heart attack.  But you should expect some damage to your heart because the drug is cardio toxic.  They  monitor your heart during the dose, and sometimes after that.

The drug is supposed to double your chance of survival, which sounds good….but the way my oncologist explained it to me is, if your
likely hood of  surviving 5 years is 3 percent, (without all the other treatments)   then herceptin increases your survival another 3 percent.  (I was told that the surgery, chemo and radiation increase my chance to 20%, and the herceptin added 3% more to this.)

The cost for this drug (when I did it 6 years ago) was $30,000.  They had just started paying for it in Ontario.  People were selling their houses to get it before that.  The drug company promotes it as a miracle drug, so women believe in it. I’m hoping that eventually they come up with better miracles then this.

Yes, you should have access to this drug, but be aware that it may only marginally improve your survival and  it may hurt you.  Be wary of institutions that promote news stories, and petitions about  the  struggle between the poor victimized women, and their ruthless governments.  This publicity may benefit these women, but it definitely benefits the drug company.

If you want to improve your chances of survival by a few percentages, there are many strategies you can take, all of them improving your chances by a few percentages.   Do not leave your life and health up to institituions.  You have some responsiblity for your own health and survival.