warning about TAXOL

n Introduction to Taxol Side Effects

• Neutropenia (low levels of white blood cells called neutrophils) -- in up to 100 percent of people
• Anemia -- up to 97 percent (see Chemotherapy and Anemia)
• Hair loss -- up to 96 percent (see Taxol and Hair Loss)
• Muscle pain or joint pain -- up to 93 percent (Nerve and Muscle Problems During Chemotherapy)
• Nausea and vomiting -- up to 93 percent (see Chemotherapy and Nausea)
• Leukopenia (low levels of white blood cells called leukocytes) -- up to 90 percent
• Diarrhea -- up to 90 percent (Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea).
   

• Unusual sensations, such as burning or tingling
• Low platelets in the blood (see Blood Clotting Problems and Chemotherapy)
• Mouth sores or sores in the digestive tract (see Mouth and Gum Problems During Chemotherapy)
• Changes in the heart rhythm seen with an electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Low blood pressure (hypotension)
• Bleeding
• Slow heart rate (bradycardia).
  
• ...........................
  
  as I have written most women get through Taxol without SEVERE reactions but sometimes not..
  please see Lillie's post above for how her oncologist handled things..
  
  more on MUGA-
  http:// www.cancer.net/patient/All+About+Cancer/Cancer.Net+Features/Treatments%2C+Tests%2C+and+Procedures/MUGA+Scan%E2%80%94What+to+Expect
  
  
  
  Cancer.net is the American Society of Clinical Oncologists site..
  
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  MUGA Scan—What to Expect

  A multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan checks to see if your heart is pumping blood properly. Other names for this test include cardiac blood pooling imaging, nuclear heart scan, nuclear ventriculography, and radionuclide ventriculography. Some people with cancer receiving chemotherapy may need to have this test during their cancer treatment. Survivors of childhood cancer who have had radiation therapy to the chest, spine or upper abdomen; a bone marrow/stem cell transplantation, or chemotherapy with anthracyclines may also need a MUGA scan as part of their follow-up care.

  Anthracyclines are a type of chemotherapy that can damage the heart and its ability to pump blood to the rest of your body. Examples of anthracyclines include daunorubicin (Cerubidine, Rubidomycin), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and epirubicin (Ellence).

  Heart damage from chemotherapy can lead to fluid buildup in your body, causing a condition called congestive heart failure (CHF). People with CHF may experience swollen hands and feet, shortness of breath, dizziness, and an irregular heartbeat.

  Before starting chemotherapy and throughout your treatment, your doctor may want to perform a MUGA scan. A MUGA scan checks for:

• Your heart’s ability to pump blood to the rest of your body
  
  
• The size of the ventricles (the two lower chambers that hold blood) in the heart
  
  
• Any abnormal movement of blood through the heart

About the procedure

A MUGA scan is much like a computed tomography (CT) scan, and is performed by a nuclear medicine or radiology technician at a hospital. In most cases, the test does not require you to stay in the hospital overnight. During the test, a small amount of a radioactive material, called a tracer, is injected into a vein, usually in your arm. This material is much like a dye and binds to your red blood cells (blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body), making it easier to see how blood moves through your heart. After you have received the tracer, you will lie on a table and the technician will put a gamma camera (a special camera that uses gamma rays together with a tracer) above you and take pictures of your heart.

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unklez, my understanding that the drug used extensively in our community that causes most cardio problems is AC but, to a lesser extent, Taxol can cause problems as well...rare, but I think it makes sense, in some instances, to have the test. Again, women need to be guided by their oncologists and perhaps a cardiologist...and for sure some oncologists may say it is unnecessary..every situation is different..In my opinion, it certainly warrants a conversation with your oncologist...

all the best,

Steve