kickincancer Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 mom had her 3 month scans Monday. SHe was told yesterday she has two brain mets both about 4mm. THe dr. said radiation should take care of them. Her lung and liver were stable which is great news so they are keeping her on Tarceva for at least another 3 months. Just wondering what side effects were for brain radiation and if this takes care of them, what are the chances of them reoccurring? Should he have taken her off tarceva and put her on another chemo? Any thoughts would be appreciated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen335 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Welcome!!If she only has two mets. I hope she is having Sterotactic Radiation and NOT WBR... Sending well wishes snd prayers... Please keep us posted, we are here to support and help as much as we possibly can.. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunny Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I PMd you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Hi: I am sorry your mom's scans showed brain mets. At least they are small and there are only 2. You could check into cyberknife surgery which is a form of stereotactic radiosurgery. http://www.cyberknifesupport.org/forum/default.aspx?c=4 I have heard that tarceva is supposed to cross the blood brain barrier, so I would think your mom was using the right drug, especially if the lung and liver are stable. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missyk Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 Just chiming in with another opinion that you should look into stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS, cyberknife, ect) instead of whole brain radiation...Mom's tumors were "zapped" by it and all she said was she could feel "a strange feeling" where the tumor was for a few days. Best wishes and hugssss... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marym Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 I have had the radio surgery and it's not a big deal. No side effects really. In fact, I just learned today that I have another met and will be having a second radio surgery April 13th. The only pain associated with it is the initial needle to numb the area that they screw the halo into. That hurts for a second or two at each of the 4 locations. There was no pain after the fact. Good luck to your mom. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kimr Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I've had 44 brain tumors successfully treated using Gamma Knife, with no side effects so far. This was 4 separate treatments over a 5 month period. I expect to need continued treatment every few months, but the process is painless. My oncologist recommended whole brain radiation, but I was afraid of the possible side effects. For me, Gamma Knife was the right decision. Good luck and God bless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 I have heard of others managing brain mets up to 11 mets at a time, and for 3 different crops of mets with gamma knife or other targeted radiation such as cyberknife. The only restriction was that the primary tumor had to be controlled. For myself, I intend to avoid wbr if I ever get brain mets. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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