Traveca/Irressa/Taxol

[BoBennett]

Traveca/Irressa/Taxol

Just wanted to update my decision. My Onc. suggested I go on traveca or Irresa, he didn‘t say exactly why other than my last scan was a little on the better side. I felt he was inferring I have been on chemo long enough without a break and that maybe a break was in order. My take on Tr/Ir was that they were like most other chemo’s and such in that they sometimes work and sometimes don’t. Beyond that, Dr. Joe and my Onc both said that there is a small percentage, I think around 10ish, that respond well to Tr/Ir and the rest of the population doesn’t respond. So based on that and the info I got from here I elected to continue with the Carbo and Taxol until it warms up then break for a bit.

My Onc said that non smoking Asian women respond best to Tr/Ir. I thought that was interesting. (My onc is a good guy but that was the most info I have received from him in 9 months). With all the trials and such it would be even more interesting to know what other types respond well and what are the percentages that way we could make better decisions on treatment.

Anyone hear of those types who respond well.

Bo

I also wanted to say that without this board and the info it provides I don’t know were we would all get answers to our needs.

Bo

[Snowflake]

Bo,

Mr. RY was on Iressa and has switched over to Tarceva. He is not a non-smoking Asian woman and is doing well (there's one). TAnn has switched from Iressa to Tarceva and is doing well (female, but not Asian). There are some here that have switched from Iressa to Tarceva, others who have stayed on Iressa because it was "doing the job". I don't think that many new people are being placed on Iressa, just an option for those who have been taking it with success.

I know that when my oncologist speaks of "trials", he is not the one running the trial and gives me contact info on the people that are running it if I have more questions. If you are feeling that you are not getting enough information from your doctor, see if he will give you the contact information on the options he is giving you so that both of you can make a more informed decision on what may/may not work for you...and, in some cases, toss that out the window. If a medication were the silver bullet in just 1% of the male population, who's to say you aren't that 1%?

Non-smoking Asian women may or may not be the largest group in the study that are aided by Tarceva/Iressa, but there isn't anything that says "absolutely will not work in Caucasian men over x years of age". I'd say read up on the two choices, do an informal survey, and go with your gut. You will have digested quite a bit of information and will be making an informed decision with the aid of your oncologist.

Just my forty cents...

[TAnn]

Bo,

I've been told that Iressa/Tarceva works "best" in young women, non-smokers with adenocarcinoma. That's me! (no, I'm not Asian) Like Snowflake said, that doesn't mean that it doesn't work in others, (including men ).

I also believe that most doctors are now putting new patients on Tarceva and Iressa is for those who have had significant response. Iressa kept me stable, but no shrinkage, so my doctor switched me to Tarceva. My first scan after 1 month was stable.

It is alot easier to take that pill everyday than to go through chemo. Good luck with your decision.

TAnn

[BoBennett]

Sorry if it sounded if I were implying that traceva/Irresa doesn’t work for other than non smoking Asian woman. Just passing on what I am hearing and what I hear and learn is how I base my decisions, not to say others don’t as well. As for those that are taking it and doing well they are certainly there as well as those who are not happy with it. All things seem to work for some sometimes and,,,,, In the future I will try and be more specific with passing on info.

I didn‘t mean to imply that I wished I could take traveva/Irressa I meant to imply that carbo and taxol are working and why switch to something that is unproven , other than antidotal..

Thanks for the responses. Just passing on one piece of info.

Glad its working for you TAnn

Bo.

[Ry]

I remember the study you are speaking of Bo. I got quite a chuckle out of it because the Iressa worked so well for John and he certainly didn't fit the profile.

The thing about these drugs is if you are lucky enough to be one of the people they work for, they really work! Maybe you might want to consider the Tarceva following the taxol?

[cathyr]

Bob,

I have to give you the other side because I think that's what this board is about - lots of experience.

I was on Iressa for 2 months and it did absolutely nothing for me excepts give me very harsh side affects that really inteferred with my quality of life.

I supposedly met the qualifications that most people who respond to Iressa do, but it didn't work that way. Personally, I felt it set me back at least 2 months and I got mets to both adrenal glands while taking it.

I know it works wonders for many here on the board, but for some of us it did the opposite.

I wish you luck in anything you try, Bob!

Hugs to you,

CathyR

[Snowflake]

I'd like to chime in on Cathy's take.

I can't tell you if it worked or didn't work for me, I was taking Iressa as suppressive therapy. I was supposed to take it for a year as a trial on keeping the disease from coming back. Two months into the trial, I was pulled off it due to side effects. "Rash" doesn't begin to cover what attacked my skin and "diarrhea"? WAYYYYY too mild of a word! My oncologist felt that those two side effects were something I could "deal with" when they started on Day 2...BUT, he pulled me off when the list began to get longer: pressure in my eyes, headaches, paperthin fingernails, hair loss, lack of sleep (a lot of this was because I woke up in the middle of the night with a three-second warning of another bout of that aforementioned diarrhea) and extreme fatigue, along with memory lapses and other things I cannot remember right now.

Were I to balance all those side effects with sure death in a week, I'd probably take the darn pill, but with nothing visible and no real measurement, the oncologist felt quality beat out quantity and pulled me from it. Andrea's mother was also removed from the same trial for the same reasons...

BUT, just because it was a crappy (pun intended) drug for me, Andrea's mom and Cathy, doesn't mean it will be for you!

[janetg]

Hi Bo,

My nephew works for Astra Zeneca (Iressa) here in Canada and my brother works for Roche(Tarceva). I talked to my brotherbriefly about this the other evening. He says that he thinks that Iressa is going to be pulled because it's not doing what it was released to do. Apparently, it will still be available to those who are on it and having good results or those who are in a compassionate program. It seems that Tarceva may have more promise and in fact, Ron's oncologist, feels that way. His thinking seems to be that if the chemo is working then keep going with it. He says that if we were caught between a rock and a hard place then one would try anything that might work.

I know you'll get a lot of good feedback here. Your replies thus far seem to indicate that Tarceva may be the way to go.

Take care,

Janet

[shineladysue]

This whole conversation is really interesting to me. There's one thing that comes to my mind , as we are all trying to figure out what is best. If the doctors knew what was best for each case, they would get it right the first time. The down side is that it's always , sit , watch and wait, but the upside is there are some very wonderfully , pleasant surprises, miracles even. Bo, you just might be the guy to blow that nonsmoking , Asian women, theory right out of the water. Every person is unique and every person's response is unique. There's always room for hope and lots of room for prayer. Thank God for each one of you here, sharing your thoughts , ideas and experiences. My prayers to Bo and all of you.

love,

sue

[LCFamily]

Bo- I think that yur choice is a good 1 . cc says that the odds of alimta and tarceva working are pretty slim - about 9 % and tahts for a specific target group which isnt a good fit 4 U.. yur other choices should do as good or better than that for U and the docs no more about thoz drugs ansd there side effects which helps make it a safer approach for U. good luck

[marion]

I have been taking Iressa since August 2004. As of last month, it was still working for me. Go this week to see if it still is working. I do have the bad side effects but am coping with them.

I guess sometimes, you just don't know which way to go. What works for one just does not always work for the other. By the way, I am not Asian. Marion.

[cindi o'h]

Hi Bo.

I was just reading your profile...I was wondering how often you are getting the carbo/taxol infusion? And how are you feeling with these? I had them while going through radiation and then some adjuvant tx afterwards.. I don't know if it was the radiation or the chemo or the combination that knocked me on my you know what place... but something did. I think that these two drugs that you are using have been shown to have a siginficant effect on lc. If you are tolerating them, then if it were me, I would probably stay with them for as long as I could...

But, if they are getting nasty with your immune system or other things, then I would probably consider Tarceva/Alimta. Iressa, I think, I read that it is not all that was originally cracked up to be. Don't know where I read that, but I filed it away in this clean gray matter for future reference.

Good luck to you, Bo.

Cindi o'h

[tnmynatt]

Bo,

Charlie has been on the Tarceva for 3 weeks now. The doctor believes he is getting a good response...he is feeling much better. Won't know for sure until mid-late March. I agree with the others--Taxol and Carbo are proven effective and if you are tolerating it and the cancer is still responding, I would stay on it. It's likely that it will stop responding pretty soon. Tarceva would be a nice next step unless you can get into a clinical trial. Take care.

[BoBennett]

I get the CarboTaxol every three weeks if I’m lucky enough that my counts are OK all but one time they were OK. For me the CarboTaxol have been a little more forgiving in the counts department than the Carbo/Gemzar, not much but a bit. I have a few days of bone pain and getting knocked down a bit but I go for a walk and the sore legs make me forget the other chemo stuff, so I’m happy with the treatments, and I’ll take this any day to active cancer symptoms.

I told my Onc last treatment I would stay with this so its down to every two months now, I’ll get another scan late spring, if its good, again, I’m stopping for the summer to let my body catch up.

When my onc switched me to taxol, my daughter, an RN who spent a few years on an oncology ward commented. “they are bringing the big guns out now”. Like a lot of folks have echoed, I think that its hit and miss, for the Oncs and us, we just have to make a decision based on what we see and hear or let them decide for us. I’ve seen to much to let anyone make my decisions.

My question is, if Taxol is the big guns why didn’t I get it in the beginning. I had minimal symptoms in the chest area but immediately after starting taxol they went away, that included hacking up blood.

As I gathered all the info I have heard manny agree that there is a small select group that does well, all doctors I’ve talked with have echoed that sentiment commenting on trails and stats, many of those who have used or are using it don’t like the side effects and talk as if they are very bad. Of those that use they are divided if it helped or not. If I read of a trial that talks of my position I would jump on it but considering that even some who do nothing stay stable, I couldn’t find a reason to chance the side effects.

Thanks for the comments and information

Bo

[karenl]

Hi Bo.

I think you have made a good decision.

Regarding your comment about taxol being the 'big guns', alot of my reading has suggested that, in fact, the taxanes are a standard second-line treatment. That said, I know alot of people do have the carbo/taxol combination to begin with. However, Mum started on cisplatin and gemzar, and her onc believed that to be the most aggressive treatment. Its great that the taxol seems to be working for you - as you say, there is just no telling what will work for any given individual. I guess that's what makes this whole thing so difficult.

All the best

Karen