Is Endocrine Therapy Alone Enough for Small Her2+ Breast Cancer?

This is how my oncologist is treating my Hr+HR2+ . I too am uncomfortable with this but what do you do? I had two sites both under about 2mm.. I had lumpectomy and radiation.

I just got a second opinion today. He really explained everything thoroughly and I am now comfortable with it. He broke everything down, not just the tumor size. He read me the results of a recent study done with over 1,000 women with tumor size under 5mm. Results showed a 10 year survival rate the same as people who also received the chemo and her2 treatment. He said that in my particular situation there was like a 1% chance that I would benefit at all by having it. I had a complete mastectomy with no reconstruction. I would suggest you get a second opinion with someone trustworthy if possible. It has given me a lot of peace. Thank you so much for sharing this with me.

Thank you. I have discussed it and understand. I believe my oncologist is making his best decision for me. Yet, I have had no new occurrence but have had suspicious clusters following each six month mamogram.each required biopsy. I believe it would have been better to have had a mastectomy with I will do if I have yet another cluster in November. Not worth the agony of repeated biopsies and stress. It will be 2 years in December.

My HER2+ ER+ tumor was 4 mm and my oncologist gave option of doing the herceptin treatment. Experts are divided on whether those with tumors smaller than 5 mm should do it but I read some scholarly papers that suggested it is beneficial. I wanted to do everything possible so I did it. 12 weekly treatments of Taxol and Herceptin, then 3 week Herceptin for a year. I finished Herceptin in May. It’s a lot of treatment but I felt it was right for me so I’m glad I did it.

Julia K, did you lose your hair?

I did cold capping. I lost very little hair.

It's completely understandable to feel uncertain when treatment recommendations don't match expectations, especially with HER2+ breast cancer. Treatment decisions for very small tumors can vary significantly based on many factors that oncologists consider, and getting a second opinion can provide valuable peace of mind when feeling unsure about a treatment plan. Many others in this community have navigated similar decisions and may share their experiences to help inform your conversations with your medical team.