In 2009, I had triple positive breast cancer, meaning my type of cancer liked oestrogen, progesterone and the HER2 protein for breakfast. There are newer (and better) drug combinations on the market now. (See the wonky photograph).

I snapped this from, I believe, expatriate Australian Dr Shom Goel’s talk. If you’re based in the USA he’s a leading light in HER2 positive research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

T-DM1 is a targeted antibody-drug conjugate: Herceptin (trastuzumab) and emtansine  (DM1). Herceptin binds to the receptor (on the cancer cells). Emtansine enters the cells and destroys them. This regimen is for women with metastatic breast cancer, and/or who’ve become resistant to Herceptin.

(From 2016 Clinical Oncology Society of Australia conference).