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All for HER Profile

    • Susan Gardner
    • 2008 West Region Winner
    • Swedish Breast Center
    • Seattle, WA

Nomination Information (excerpts)

How does the nurse you are nominating go above and beyond his or her normal duties for patients with HER2+ breast cancer?
Susan goes above and beyond for all patients regardless of their Her2 status. She follows patients through their diagnosis and treatment providing education, facilitating patient appointments, referring them to social work and support services and most of all being a gentle and kind voice and companion in the midst of a scary time in women's lives.

How does the nurse encourage his or her patients to stay on therapy?
Susan is the cheerleader, the one nurses who stays with patients all the way through their treatment from diagnosis through chemotherapy / radiation therapy and beyond. She coaches people, educates people and believes in them such that they believe in themselves.

What are the nurse's greatest strengths in teaching, relating to, and caring for his or her patients?
Susan is the very definition of patient centered care. Her strength is her compassion and easy identification with patients. She bonds quickly with women and people respond to her gentle manner and calm voice. She is so genuine that people trust her quickly and know they can believe what she tells them.

Is there any additional information you'd like to share about the nurse you are nominating?
Susan is an advocate for all aspects of breast cancer health. She is a national expert on the breast cancer nurse navigator role and has been asked to speak at many national conferences. She is a team leader for the local Komen Race for the Cure. She is involved with the "Check your Boobies" Campaign and sponsors their programs.

If known, indicate the number of years your nurse has been in practice.
20

Who is Herceptin for?

Herceptin is approved for the adjuvant treatment of HER2-overexpressing, node-positive or node-negative (ER/PR-negative or with one high-risk feature)† breast cancer. Herceptin can be used several different ways:

  • As part of a treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel
  • With docetaxel and carboplatin
  • As a single agent following multi-modality anthracycline-based therapy

Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is approved for the first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin as a single agent is approved for treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer in patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease.

† High-risk is defined as ER/PR positive with one of the following features: tumor size >2 cm, age <35 years, or tumor grade 2 or 3.

What important safety information should I know about Herceptin?

Herceptin treatment can result in heart problems, including those without symptoms (reduced heart function) and those with symptoms (congestive heart failure). The risk and seriousness of these heart problems were highest in people who received both Herceptin and a certain type of chemotherapy (anthracycline). Your doctor will stop or strongly consider stopping Herceptin if you have a significant drop in your heart function.

You should be monitored for decreased heart function before your first dose of Herceptin, and frequently during the time you are receiving Herceptin and after your last dose of Herceptin. If you must permanently or temporarily stop Herceptin due to heart problems, you should be monitored more frequently. In one study with Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy, an inadequate blood supply to the heart occurred.

Some patients have had serious infusion reactions and lung problems; fatal infusion reactions have been reported. In most cases, these reactions occurred during or within 24 hours of receiving Herceptin. Your Herceptin infusion should be temporarily stopped if you have shortness of breath or very low blood pressure. Your doctor will monitor you until these symptoms go away. If you have a severe allergic reaction, swelling, lung problems, inflammation of the lung, or severe shortness of breath, your doctor may need to completely stop your Herceptin treatment.

Worsening of low white blood cell counts associated with chemotherapy has also occurred.

Herceptin can cause low amniotic fluid levels and harm to the fetus when taken by a pregnant woman.

The most common side effects associated with Herceptin were fever, nausea, vomiting, infusion reactions, diarrhea, infections, increased cough, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, rash, low white and red blood cells, and muscle pain.

Because everyone is different, it is not possible to predict what side effects any one person will have. If you have questions or concerns about side effects, talk to your doctor.

Please see the Herceptin full Prescribing Information including Boxed WARNINGS and additional important safety information.



Herceptin® (trastuzumab)Herceptin® (trastuzumab)

Adjuvant Care Is defined as additional treatment given after the main treatment plan to decrease the chance of recurrence. Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer can include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, or biological therapy

Metastatic Breast Cancer Breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body; also referred to as invasive or infiltrating