‘It’s not such a brave new world, after all’

For the past 18 months, Dina Rabinovitch has been writing regular articles in G2 about her treatment for breast cancer. Recently, she noticed a red rash around her mastectomy scar. But she had already guessed that the cancer had returned.

The selling of a wonder drug

Four years ago, almost no one had heard of it. Today, Herceptin is a household name and women with early-stage breast cancer are going to court for the right to get it. Yet the drug is not actually licensed for use in early-stage cancer - and the clinical tests, while promising, don't yet prove it will ever save lives. How did Herceptin become a cause celebre? Sarah Boseley investigates.