Good Bro Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 So, after 7 months of Taxotere and Cyramza, I think there's a good chance my brother might be onto a 3rd line treatment. Got his scan results back late last week and meets with his onc to go over them tomorrow. However, he sent them to me to review and I didn't see the word "decrease" or "reduced" anywhere. In fact, more than 10 of the lesions in his liver have increased in size and he has 2 new ones in the abdomen region (report didn't specifically state where). Also mention of Pancreatic Atrophy. Definitely not the results we were hoping for but maybe the oncologist will state that it's not as bad as it sounds. That has happened before. Anyway, crossing our fingers for tomorrow's discussion. If they do switch up his treatment, hopefully this next one will be the one that finally works longer term. Has anyone had some progression while on a treatment plan and your doc kept you on that treatment still? Or, do they switch it at the first sign of any progression whatsoever? Justin1970, Tom Galli, Judy M2 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouT Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 Anytime one hears about growth of lesions/nodules/tumors it's not a good thing. But more important will be what the ONC has to say about the scans, potential treatments, and anticipated outcomes. My prayer is for hope in the discussion and always remember; anytime your brother feels the need for a second opinion he should get one. Lou jack14 and Justin1970 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 Good Bro, Has anyone had progression in treatment and remained on an unchanged treatment plan? Yes, I've had that situation. Do doctors switch treatment at the first sign of progression? That is a complicated question and my best response is it depends on a myriad of factors, way too complicated for me to elaborate on. Be mindful of liver lesions. They come in two general flavors: hyper dense and hypodense. Interpretation of each type as to cause is an art form. The size increase may be caused by chemo agents. New abdominal lesions are of greater concern. Do you know the location of these? Stay the course. Tom Justin1970, LouT and jack14 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Bro Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 Tom, Do you know the location of these? - the report states Segment 4 (0.9cm) and 7 (0.6cm). Good to know on the liver lesions. The report did state that the lesions that increased in size were all pre-existing from scans back in January. Some of those had showed some reduction in scans done between Jan and July but have increase in size during the latest scan. Do you know which of the two (hyper vs hypo) are attributed to the chemo agents? Justin1970 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 Good Bro, Segment 4 is likely a scan run (image) not an anatomical reference. And I wouldn’t know which of the two cited lesions expand given chemo agents. I recall my medical oncologist offering the expansion idea during one of my mid treatment scans. I was on Taxol and Carboplatin and several of my discovered lesions grew. They were back to “normal” after treatment Be sure to have the lesion and new growth issue explained by your dad’s physician. Stay the course. Tom Justin1970 and LouT 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Bro Posted July 29, 2022 Author Share Posted July 29, 2022 Thx again Tom. Of course. My brother is actually currently getting bloodwork done as I type and will be discussing with his doctor and then supposedly getting his next treatment... that is if the doctor doesn't switch things up. I do believe the "segments" in this case refer to the different areas of the abdominal region but not certain on that. See image below: Justin1970 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin1970 Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Good bro I wish your brother all the goodwill I can really hope he gets some good results and treatment all the best Take care Justin Izzy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Bro Posted July 29, 2022 Author Share Posted July 29, 2022 Just as I was afraid of... his oncologist confirmed that the growth in his liver is very concerning and he needs to switch up treatments. So, onto the 3rd and final line of treatment. If this doesn't work, he will need to look into clinical trials. jack14 and Tom Galli 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Bro Posted July 29, 2022 Author Share Posted July 29, 2022 The next treatment will be Gemzar. Anyone have any experience with this chemo drug? Side effects? Success stories? Tom Galli 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Bro Posted August 26, 2022 Author Share Posted August 26, 2022 Brother just got his scan results back after a couple rounds on Gemzar as a 3rd line treatment. Chest and Abdomen CT scans were pretty decent. Mostly stable and some shrinkage. Brain MRI though wasn't as promising. Lot's of progression in that report (increase in lesion sizes and also new ones). Waiting on doc to contact him to discuss next steps. He had a couple rounds of brain radiation a while (months) back. He is close to 16 months post dx now. Overall performance is better than it was a year ago for sure. However, he does say that he feels as if he is slowly declining. Might just be all the treatment side effects compounding to make him feel that way though. He's definitely a fighter though and taking it all on like a champ. jack14 and Tom Galli 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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