Am new to this site

[endangered but surviving]

Am new to this site, am just diagnosed Stage IV, NSCLC.

Dr recommends I try Avastin with carboplatin and taxol, my insurance has approved it.

Has anyone tried it?

What questions should I ask the dr who will administer it?

Greatly appreciate any help.

[Ry]

Welcome

Lots is being written about Avastin as showing great results. My husband had the other two drugs and they helped shrink his tumor dramatically. Good luck.

Rochelle

[dadstimeon]

Welcome, I had Taxol alone and had very good results. Research, research and research to learn as much as you can. Take it one-step, one day at a time. Stay positive and focused. Stay with us lots of great support and advise here. Below are some sites you might find helpful. Hope this helps. Prayers for the best. Rich

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (Questions to Ask the Doctor)

http://lcam.org (Lung Cancer Awareness Month / November)

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html (Merck Manuals / Medical informations)

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com (British Medical Journal's)

http://www.cochrane.org/index0.htm (The Cochrane Collaboration / The reliable source of evidence in healthcare)

http://cancer.gov/dictionary (NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms)

http://www.nccn.org/patients/patient_gl ... tents.asp# (Lung Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients – Version II/May 2004)

http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cancernet/600081.html (National Organizations That Offer Services to People With Cancer)

http://www.acscsn.org/books (The ACS and NCI Offer Free Cancer Survivorship Books)

http://www.cancercare.org/FinancialNeed ... .cfm?c=388 (Financial Needs: Internet Links for Financial Assistance)

http://www.cancermonthly.com/ (Cancer Monthly (The Source For Cancer Treatment Results)

http://www.roycastle.org (Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... h&DB=books (NCBI / BookShelf)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... _id=&state (Caregiving)

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MON/MON_1.asp (Track Side Effects)

http://www3.cancer.gov/cancercenters/centerslist.html (NCI-designated Cancer Centers / Cancer Centers Listed by State)

http://www.healthology.com/focus_articl ... cancernews (How To Eat Well During Cancer Treatment)

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/nutrition.asp (Nutrition Facts and Information Center)

http://www.about-nsclc.com/content/patient/nsclc (Iressa)

http://www.about-nsclc.com/content/prof/about (Iressa)

http://www.findcancerexperts.com (Find Cancer Experts)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (Making Decisions About Cancer Treatment)

http://www.chemocare.com (ChemoCare)

http://www.curetoday.com/currentissue/d ... index.html (Toolbox: Resources You Can Use)

http://www.cancerindex.org/clinks8h.htm (Resources for Caregivers)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=U ... sa&spell=1 (Medicaid)

http://www.thehealthinsurance.com/medicaid.htm (Medicaid)

http://www.thebeehive.org/health/contests/medicaid.asp (Medicaid)

http://www.lungcancerfyi.com/lung_cancer_faq.html ((Lung Cancer - Frequently Asked Questions)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/treatme ... osurg.html (Surgery - General Information & What to Expect)

http://www.lungcancerfyi.com/lung_cancer_glossary.html (Lung Cancer Glossary)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (Receive the PLWC Bulletin)

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/hos ... p_home.htm (Directory Of American Hospitals)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/tests/index.html (Lung Cancer Online / Test And Procedures)

http://www.vh.org/adult/patient/cancerc ... index.html (Understanding Blood Tests / A Guide for Patients with Cancer)

http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/tr ... ng/patient (SCLC)

http://www.meds.com/pdq/smallcell_pat.html (Medicine OnLine / SCLG)

http://health.allrefer.com/health/prima ... -info.html (Diseases And Conditions / SCLC)

http://www.hospicefoundation.org (Hospice Foundation Of America)

http://www.hospiceweb.com (Hospice Web)

http://www.hospice-america.org/consumer.html (Hospice Association Of America)

http://www.hospicenet.org (Hospice Net)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 151,00.asp (PLWC Feature: Talking to Someone With Cancer)

http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/ ... 87526.html (3-year-old keeps her smile in battle with rare cancer)

http://www.rfalung.com (Radio Frequency Ablation Of Lung Cancer)

http://www.lungcancercoalition.org (Global Lung Cancer Coalition)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (PLWC Feature: Financial Support Resources)

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/nycu/healt ... hqcanc.htm (Best Hospitals)

https://www.alcase.org/advocacy/sign_the_petition.html (Advocacy / Sign the Petition)

http://www.cancersymptoms.org (Oncology Nursing Society)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (Questions to Ask the Doctor)

http://www.alcase.org/education/publica ... reath.html (With Every Breath A Lung Cancer Guidebook / From ALCASE / A Wealth Of Information / Free)

http://www.cancersurvivaltoolbox.org (The Cancer Survival Toolbox / Free / From NCCS)

http://www.centerwatch.com (Clinical Trails Listing Service / Center Watch)

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&editi ... ung+cancer (Lung Cancer In The News)

http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/pro ... /guide.asp (The Wellness Community / National Cancer Support, Education And Support / Free)

http://www.drugs.com (Drug Information Online)

http://www.alcase.org (ALCASE / Alliance For Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, Education)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov (Unites States / National Library Of Medicine)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html (Health Information / Medical Encyclopedia)

http://www.google.com (Great Search Engine)

http://blochcancer.org (R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc. / Please read: A Letter to all newly diagnosed cancer patients)

http://www.cancer.org (American Cancer Society)

http://www.cancer.gov (Cancer Information Service / NCI)

http://www.cancerresearchcenter.org (Cancer Research Center)

http://www.aicr.org (American Institute for Cancer Research; Nutrition Hotline / AICR)

http://www.cancerhopenetwork.org (Cancer Hope Network)

http://www.acor.org (Association of Cancer Online Resources / Free Online Lifeline For Everyone Affected By Cancer & Related Disorders)

http://www.meds.com/lung/lunginfo.html (Lung Cancer Information Library)

http://www.lungusa.org (American Lung Association)

http://www.ama-assn.org (American Medical Association)

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... g%20Cancer (Doctor’s Guide / Lung Cancer)

http://www.healthfinder.gov/Scripts/Sea ... ?topic=506 (Healthfinder)

http://www.medicinenet.com/Lung_Cancer/article.htm (Medicine Net)

http://www.cancerindex.org/clinks2l.htm (Cancer Index / Lung Cancer Resources Directory)

http://www.nfcr.org/site/PageServer?pag ... ncers_lung (National Foundation For Cancer Research)

http://www.patientadvocate.org (Patient Advocate Foundation)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/effects ... fects.html (Lung Cancer Online / Hematologic (Blood) Effects)

http://www.cancerlinks.org/lung.html (Lung Cancer Links)

http://www.cancer-free.com (Cancer Free Connections)

http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/C ... ung_cancer (Health Insite)

http://www.lungcancerclaims.com (Lung Cancer / Lung Cancer Information Page)

http://www.cancerlifecenter.com/engine. ... =dictionar (Cancer Life Center/ Cancer Dictionary)

http://www.canceryellowpages.com/Resour ... G%20CANCER (Cancer yellow Pages)

http://icare.org (ICARE / The International Cancer Alliance)

http://www.vh.org/index.html (Virtual Hospital)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/support/financial.html (Lung Cancer Online / Financial, Legal & Insurance Issues)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/index.htm (Lung Cancer Online / HomePage)

http://cancernews.healthology.com/focus ... cancernews (Cancer News)

http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/7_48.htm (Follow-up Care: Questions and Answers)

[endangered but surviving]

Thank you Ry and Dadstim,

Did either have trouble with side effects?

How long did they put you on treatment?

The plan for me is for one long 7 hour day every 3 weeks, my first oncologist says I will need to be on avastin at least for the rest of my life if it works and stabilizes my cancer.

However long that may be, they will not prognose.

again thank you and I will check out some of the sites.

[stand4hope]

Hi!

I don't know anything about Avastin, but wanted to jump in and welcome you to our group. My husband had taxotere/carboplatin the first round and gemzar/navelbine the second. The first set was kind of rough on him, but he made it through it. Everybody has different side effects from different chemo cocktails, so it's hard to say how they will affect you. We just hope and pray that it gets rid of the cancer so you will come back with a NED (No Evidence of Disease) report in the not-too-distant future.

Once again, WELCOME!

Peggy

[Ry]

The one treatment every three weeks is what my husband had also. He also did radiation at the same time as the carbo/taxol. The carbo/taxol was not to bad as far as side effects went. He would feel pretty good until about day 3 following chemo and then he would be very tired. With each treatment the fatigue increased. Make sure you drink lots of water, before, during, and after chemo. It will help a great deal in how you feel.

The chemo will knock your blood counts down so be careful. John ended up in the hospital with pneumonia due to low blood counts.

Also, if they haven't recommended it, you should consider a port for chemo, it makes a big difference and protects your veins.

My mother-in-law also has lung cancer and Avastin was a drug they talked about using for her. I did a google search of "Avastin lung cancer" and got a lot of information.

I hope all goes well for you.

Rochelle

[dadstimeon]

Hi, I was on Taxol (see my profile at bottom, as well as others to get an idea of treatments and time frames) for 16 weeks but had no side effects from it, but everyone is different, reacts differently. Did develop slight neuropathy while on Navelbine, still have it. Other then fatigue I have been very fortunate as far as side effects go. I've been on chemo since Dec, 2002, it is doable and plan on staying on it until I win my battle. Hope this helps and join the not endangered species with me as well as others. Prayers for the best. Rich

[Don Wood]

Welcome! My wife, Lucie, is Stage IV NSCLC, and is 2 1/2 years out and going. So take heart and keep us posted. Don

[Frank Lamb]

Welcome,I was on carboplatin and taxol for 7 rounds.Every monday for 7 weeks and had radiation at the same time.It shrunk the tumor a lot and held stable over a year.Tried it again this time as C spread to my windpipie and it beat me up so bad I had to quit it.Hope it works well for you.

[cindi o'h]

Welcome..!

I think I read somewhere that Avastin started out for colon cancer and now it is thought very highly of as far as treating lung cancer is concerned! This must be very exciting for you to be on the brink of new medication that was not available previously!

I had carbo/taxol and radiation ...stage lllb. knocked my socks off although the doc said that I handled treatment very well...

Try not to look for prognosis. Live each day as if it is your first and your last! Each of us have only today. Today is our gift. Some said that I would not make it to now. And by garsh, here I am in the now!

Good luck and hope to see you back and helping the next one with the Avastin question.

Cindi o'h

[rogfam]

welcome to the boards, lots of info and encouragement here.

God bless,

Christy

[J.C.]

Hi!

You already got answers from survivors

and more will add up.

Just wanted to welcome you.

Keep us posted on the treatments.

Hugs

J.C.