Best chemo for 3N? |
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emilypdx 
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Joined: Apr 10 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5 |
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 Topic: Best chemo for 3N?Posted: May 09 2008 at 2:47pm |
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Hi all, I just had a conversation with my doctor and she mentioned that the latest research seems to indicate that 3Ns respond best to drugs used normally for lung cancer. Has anyone else heard this or what drugs in particular seem to work the best?
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BrendaF
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Joined: Dec 07 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 401 |
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Posted: May 10 2008 at 5:01am |
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I have not heard this specifically from a dr, but in my research for clinical trials, I have been noticing that many drugs being tested for 3neg are already in use for small cell lung cancer, so that makes a lot of sense. I have just finished carboplatin with taxotere, for mets, which has been very effective for triple negative. I don't know if they are using this combo in adjuvant therapy, though.
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defeatbc
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Joined: May 02 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 17 |
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Posted: May 10 2008 at 7:29pm |
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I've just started carboplatin and taxotere (I have stage II). My oncologist decided on that combo over AC. He gave me various reasons for that decision such as avoiding damage to the heart, and that that combo tends to work well for 3N's. If I'm not wrong, I think carboplatin is one type of chemo commonly used for lung cancer.
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Dx 3/08 at 31 yrs. Stage 2, Grade 3, 1/13 Nodes, Bi-Mast adjuvant Taxotere & Carboplatin BRCA1- and BRCA2- Determined to grow old with my spouse and see my toddler son grow up! |
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lisab
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Posted: May 11 2008 at 7:18am |
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I was on Carboplatin and Gemzar, along with radiation at the same time, for my breast cancer (mets to the chest wall). My onc told me the platinum drugs are excellent for triple negs.
Love and hugs,
Lisa B.
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Sadie Rose
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Joined: Mar 28 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 96 |
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Posted: May 13 2008 at 4:44am |
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I had three rounds of AC which did not work for my tumor. My oncologist switched my cocktail to carboplatin and taxotere for 6 rounds. I am 4 years out from the end of treatment.
I hear more and more about cargoplatins being used for TNs.
Warmly,
Sadie
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Lynn
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Posted: May 15 2008 at 5:49am |
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I am currently being treated at Memorial Sloane Kettering - arguably the best in the country, (I am Stage 1, triple neg), and they have said that the best treatment is 4 treatments every two weeks of AC, followed by 4 treatments every two weeks of Taxol.
Hope that helps.
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Betty Trouble
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Posted: May 15 2008 at 9:07am |
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Glad to hear that from Sloane Kettering. I'm being treated out in Seattle, and my oncologist has me on the same regimen, only I am doing 8 cycles of Taxol going weekly. It's the same dosage overall, but he says weekly infusions can help manage down the side effects.
We started out on a plan to do 6 treatments, every 3 weeks, of Adriamycin, Cytoxan and Taxotere. The cocktail kicked my butt, though, and I ended up in the hospital for 3 days with neutropenic fever. We then did 3 rounds of AC every two weeks (followed by Neulasta the day after), and I go for my 3rd round of Taxotere tomorrow. After 2 or 3 (can't remember) treatments, ultrasound showed tumor shrinkage.
After that first round, have been tolerating the drugs well. Some nausea with the AC, but really no major side effects so far with the Taxol. Some loss of eyebrows and eyelashes and weird sensations in fingers and toes which I suspect is the onset of some neuropathy. All in all, not as bad as I had imagined it.
Good luck with whatever you and your doctor decide.
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BrendaF
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Posted: May 15 2008 at 10:01am |
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Lynn, that's basically still the "one size fits all" chemo that all types are still getting, that I got in 2005. In the chat group I participated in, I think there was only one woman who was on a different regimen, and she was from Australia. The only difference was that some were doing taxotere for the second set of four, rather than taxol. But everybody did adriamycin and cytoxan, dose dense.
I have to admit that I'm surprised that adjuvant therapy hasn't changed for triple negatives since then, since there is so much talk about using platinums on triple negative BC. Three years, and nothing is new....that's a bit discouraging.
defeatbc, I think your oncologist is to be commended for going with the treatment you are on. I have an echocardiogram scheduled in two weeks to check for heart damage from adriamycin, since I have some unexplainable SOB. I guess it's fairly common for it to manifest several years later.
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trip2
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Joined: Jun 03 2007 Location: Under Palm Tree Status: Offline Points: 8549 |
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Posted: May 15 2008 at 11:26am |
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Brenda, I want to wish you good results on your echocardiogram.
I developed CHF about 4 yrs after taking A. No proof in the pudding but I have my suspicions.
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Stage 2 2003
Stage 1 2007 BRCA 1+ |
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Terri
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Joined: Nov 12 2007 Location: FL Status: Offline Points: 578 |
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Posted: May 16 2008 at 8:06am |
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Has anyone else had 6 tx`s of FEC, 1 every 3 weeks? My onc said it is used alot in TN`s but I don`t see much of that on here.
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IDC DX 8/17/07 (age 41)
Stage 1 Grade 1-2, 1.35 cm 2 nodes neg, Lumpectomy 10/07 Chemo: FEC 100 x 6, 35 rads BRCA 1/2 NEG PET/CT & Brain CT Nov 09 Brain MRI Aug 2012 NED |
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hubby
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Joined: Mar 24 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 21 |
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Posted: May 28 2008 at 11:46am |
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Hi Emily,
My wife was diagnosed in February '08, 2.5 cm IDC. She just finished 4 rounds of TC neo-adjuvant chemo. The latest mammogram / ultrasound showed that the tumor can't be seen any longer. Hooray! We're in Portland as well. |
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Sadie Rose
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Posted: May 28 2008 at 4:21pm |
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Portland. OR?
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Possum
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Posted: May 28 2008 at 5:09pm |
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Hi Terri,
I was offered 6 cycles of FEC as one option, but decided upon 3 cycles of FEC and 3 of taxotere.
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Christie1
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Posted: May 28 2008 at 6:02pm |
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I wanted to know if anyone just got 4 cycles of AC every 3 weeks for stage 1 tnbc? Back in 2005, when I was diagnosed while pregnant, that's the chemo regime that was supposedly safe to give to pregnant women. I really didn't have a choice. I couldn't do dose dense while being pregnant and my onc said the side effects of Taxol outweighed the benefits for me, most likely giving maybe a 2-4% benefit. So she advised me against taxol. I'm a littlle over 3 years out from diagnosis and I sometimes still feel like maybe I didn't get enough chemo, or maybe not the right cocktail of chemo. I even went down to Sloane Kettering well after I had finished my treatment ,and they told me they would have given me the 4 cycles of AC that I got, maybe just dose dense. But I couldn't do the dose dens obviously due to the pregnancy. They did say they probably would have offered me Taxol, but still agreeing with my ONC in Syracuse, that it would possibly give me a 4% benefit. Over the past 3 years, I have done alot of research and have read there is much hope for the platinum drugs, which would make sense, as they are "basal-like" cancers.
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DX 4/05 WHILE PREGNANT AT AGE 34, 1.9 CM IDC, TN, GRADE 3, BRCA1+, 21 NEG LYMPH NODES, B/L MAST W/ RECONST., 4 CYCLES AC CHEMO, PROPHYLACTIC SALPINGOOPHRECTOMY, MARRIED 11 YRS W/ 3 BOYS, 9, 5, AND 2.
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Sadie Rose
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Posted: May 28 2008 at 6:58pm |
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Hi Christie1,
What a challenge you describe! When I went through my treatment a young mother was there with a toddler. I used to wonder how she got through those days after a treatment when you feel very tired or chilled or just sick.
It sounds like your doctors had to weigh the pros and cons for both you and your baby. I think it is really positive that you are two years out from diagnosis.
There have been times when I posted that the AC comination didn't work for me. As often as I have stated that others have responded that AC worked very well for them.
Are you doing MRIs and PET scans? Everytime I have one of these tests come back clear I get more confident with my treatment. I don't think you doctors would suggest doing more treatments at this point.
How is your baby (toddler) doing now?
Warmly,
Sadie
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Beth Anne
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Joined: Apr 24 2008 Location: Clairnbridge, Ireland Status: Offline Points: 376 |
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Posted: May 28 2008 at 7:12pm |
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Hi Emily,
How are you doing? Did you end up coming to Seattle for some answers?
Hope all is well,
Beth Anne
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Dx 5/07 DCIS Stage3 gr9 A/C x 6, Abrax x 16 Bi-Mass 2/08
Navelbine x 12, finished radiation end of July 08. DX Brain Met's 2/09StageIV CK3/09.Brain resection4/09 WBR Dreaming of dancing with Ned! |
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KatePV
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Posted: May 28 2008 at 9:34pm |
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Hi- I am stage 2 no nodes involved and 39 years old. I had 4 rounds of dose dense Adriamycin and Cytoxan every two weeks and then 4 rounds of Taxol, also dose dense every two weeks. I finished chemo on April 22 and then started radiation 2 weeks later. I have now completed 15 treatments of radiation and 15 to go- half way done! I am in the San Francisco area and the women I speak to all are doing the same as me. Maybe it is the standard here for Triple Negative. I am having 30 (6 weeks) treatments of radiation. This seems to be what everyone gets, but is it different for Triple Negative?
Good luck with your treatment and I will keep you and all the other survivors in my thoughts and prayers.
All the best,
Katie
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Betty Trouble
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Posted: May 29 2008 at 4:59am |
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Alright, this may be a dumb question but I'm asking it anyway!
I've noticed a lot of posts with bilateral mastectomies. Was this because you had tumors in both breasts or was this a choice - or a recommendation from your docs - given the aggresiveness of TNBC?
The reason I ask is that I'm doing neo-adjuvant chemo and have 4 weeks to go. It's surgery decision time soon. I have 2 tumors in one breast that are far enough apart that will leave a pretty deformed breast that will be difficult to reconstruct if I go with a lumpectomy. Plus then there's radiation - ugh. So I'm pretty sure I'm just going to go with a mastectomy. Hopefully I can avoid radiation going that route but of course I won't know that until the pathology comes back post surgery.
Also, I talked to a reconstructive surgeon that won't start doing anything until 2 months post mastectomy. Is this pretty standard?
Just curious what choices others have made.
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Beth Anne
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Joined: Apr 24 2008 Location: Clairnbridge, Ireland Status: Offline Points: 376 |
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Posted: May 29 2008 at 6:22am |
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Hi Betty,
I did both because I am young well kind of young 46 and I wanted a matched set... and as it turned out this was a good idea as the path showed that cancer had started in the other side at the cellular level.
I see that you are also in Seattle and I tell you it was hard to find a reconstrution surgon and a breast surgon that were willing to but in exspanders at the time of surgery making the entire reconstruction eaiser, just 2 surgerys one the mass. and one to put in the perment implants.
For me to get this surgery done the way I wanted I had to put my foot down and tell them my way or I wont do anything... Hey and what do you know they could do it after all
 If you need any doctors names I would be happy to give them to you. My reconstrution surgon is a breast cancer survior and is the most amazing woman I have ever met.Good luck with all of this and let me know if I can help you with any doctors names and numbers
 Take care,
Beth Anne
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Dx 5/07 DCIS Stage3 gr9 A/C x 6, Abrax x 16 Bi-Mass 2/08
Navelbine x 12, finished radiation end of July 08. DX Brain Met's 2/09StageIV CK3/09.Brain resection4/09 WBR Dreaming of dancing with Ned! |
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hubby
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Posted: May 29 2008 at 8:12am |
Hi Sadie, Yes. Portland Oregon |
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Sadie Rose wrote:|
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