Taxotere side effects

[Shelley (MLC)]

Hi everyone. I just got back from a wonderful week long visit with mom and my family. Mom looks great and feels well, but unfortunaltely her CXR today shows a little change in one of the lung masses. She is having a CT on Wednesday and her Oncologist plans to start taxotere on Monday if the CT shows the same change. Is there a "usual" treatment protocal for Taxotere?.... ie every week, 2 or 3 weeks on one off??? We are taking mom on a cruise August 13th and she definitely wants to go. Will the Taxotere side effects or treatment schedule interfere with this? Thanks! Shelley

[Connie B]

Hi Shelley,

Just wanted to share with you that on Nov 18, 2006 someone had posted in this forum about Taxotere side effects etc., if you want to go give it a look at.

Also, if you click on the top of the page where it says SEARCH and type in Taxotere, you'll get all the posts that people have written about Taxotere and helpful hints and ideas as to what to expect from the drug and so on.

I've never been on Taxotere, but I know many who have and like all chemo's everyone is different, and the only person that can really tell you how often your mom will be doing her treatments is her Onc Doc as to what he feels will work for her.

Good luck and best wishes to your mom.

[trish2418]

Hi Shelley,

I had both low-dose (once a week) and high-dose (once every 3 weeks) Taxotere. Low dose was kind to me -- I really didn't suffer any bad side effects. The high-dose did take a toll on me -- low blood counts, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite. Not unbearable, but not particularly pleasant.

Good luck to your mom. I hope she enjoys the cruise.

Trish

[wiesia]

My mother had taxotere for breast cancer. It wiped her out. I think it was every three weeks. But it really worked for her: she had 15 out of 17 lymph nodes positive and her cancer did come back but only after five years. Five very good years.

[DrWest]

Taxotere has been more extensively studied in big trials for lung cancer as a one day every three week treatment, but the weekly (with a week off every three or four) is also pretty well studied and more or less comparable in effectiveness. It's very reasonable, and there are many ways to handle moving treatment breaks or holding off for travel or other events. A week or two deviation from the schedule is quite unlikely to have any significant negative effect.

-Dr. West