Chemotherapy doesn't always work

Let me start by saying I don't want to scare anyone with this topic. I just feel like I should share since it happened to me. When I started 6 months of  neoadjuvant chemotherapy I wasn't aware that sometimes certain chemos just don't work on some people. I was on Abraxane (just like Taxol but more natural) which was not working and I found out after I realized myself after 6 weeks that the tumor was actually getting larger and harder, not smaller and softer.  After researching it appears that any certain chemo only works about 60 to 70 percent of the time. Why no one told me this, I'm not sure, I can only guess that they didn't want to crush my hopes. But for Pete's sake please just give it to me straight and we'll work with it. I just thought that chemo always worked, I just thought some worked better than others.

I totally agree.  Taxanes and Xeloda haven't worked well for me, but other drugs have (Adriamycin, Cisplatin, Navelbine, Avastin).  I'm waiting for chemosensitivity results to come back any day now.  I'm running out of standard options, and it's worth whatever I might have to pay to avoid unnecessary toxicity from a drug that isn't going to work!

Adriamycin, Cisplatin, did NOTHING, over 6 months of it, and then reacted horribly to taxol, so quit that, so for me, none of the chemo had any effect at all, other than making me horribly sick and bald for almost a year. During that time, it allowed mine to spread, like wild fire. At this point, I am finally nearing the end of 47 rad treatments, and my new ocologist is concerned, that nothing worked before, and wanting to put me on something else, or a clinical trial, after an entire new set of scans. I have to be honest..I am considering not doing any more chemo, until they can come up with something they know has some effect on my cancer. I am wearing down, and out, and just getting too tired to keep taking poisens, to kill off everything, good and bad, just to find out too late its worthless.  After watching my dad give up the last 2 years of his life to chemo, so sick he could barely move, instead of enjoying what time he had left, on chemo that  had no effect on his cancer at all either. I took care of him 24/7, and I know all too well what he went thru, and what he lost over it. I dont plan on ever checking out the same way he did.  have always reacted differently to medicatons, usually does the exact opposite of wat its supposed to. They dont have a grasp on T-negs yet, and after as much searching and researching as I have done, the conclusion is...they really dont have much of a clue on what will battle this type. Each woman responds diferently, like 5000 types, within the sub-types, and genetics, pre-disposition, ovr-all health,  etc.  We all know our own boies better than anyone else. When I was on chemo..the formor onc kept saying... its smaller, and smaller, heh.... was bigger and had spread alot farther, so she was lying to me the entire time, leading me to beleive things were ok, when in reality, they were not at all. She never even bothered to tell me that there was anther node, outside the sack of 25, to make 26 in all, that was positive as well, and did not have clear margins. We are our own best advocates and warriors when it comes to this, we all have to do the best we can for ourselves, and what we feel is the right thing to do. Hang in there ladies, and do what you feel is right.

No, still waiting.  The tests are so new that I'm finding it's a very disorganized process.  Trying to get the docs to communicate with the test company, and vice versa, has been the hardest part.  Anything out of the routine seems to really confuse them.

Elizabeth, I heard about a new chemo that came out a few months ago that was just approved for bc, have you heard of this one yet?

Nearly the exact same thing happened to my wife.  I will guess that platinum based chemo will eventually become standard of care for TNBC, as opposed to ACT.  Unfortunately, the chemosensitivity tests aren't widely accepted.  However the small scale randomized trials do show some predictive power both for resistance and sensitivity.  We shepherded the tissue to the lab post surgery and followed up with the lab to get the results...its just not commonly done so need to be proactive.

VS

Hi Vasil and welcome to our forum.

Thanks, Pam.  While I'd like to see the results, I can't claim it's urgent at the moment. 

Well how odd the insurance companies are more agreeable for the more expensive method of treatment.  What they are supposed to be doing is giving you the medicine that will make you well regardless of if it goes in your port or in your mouth.  Grr, gets me going.

Thanks for asking.  She feels but has had a local recurrence and possible small lung mets.  Will start more treatment soon.