Good News and Bad News

More pathology results. I got some more details from the Oncologist. My cancer cells are the type with HER2NEU receptors. If you remember the cartoon of a cell that you learned about in Science class, picture it with some HER2NEU 'spikes' on the outside wall. The spikes are the receptors; receptors pick up chemicals that tell the cell what to do. The bad news first - cancer cells with these receptors are aggressive and grow fast. (could be why I 'suddenly' noticed a lump in my armpit.) The good news is that there is a treatment that very specifically targets these cancer cells and not a whole lot else AND the treatment is very effective. The treatment contains HER2NEU antibodies - yep, antibodies are what your body makes when you have an invasion of bacteria or virus like when you get a cold or are exposed to the flu. So, I get injected with these lab-created antibodies that travel through my bloodstream and ATTACK the cancer cells! This is called TARGETED therapy and creates a lot fewer side effects. I stiil need to do conventional chemotherapy first, but then I get Herceptin (the fancy antibodies) for a few months.