Tabrecta Update

[KF1]

My wife is now on week 13 of Tabrecta. So far tolerating well. Fatigue and minor stomach issues from time to time. She has also just started getting some swelling in her ankles. Very minor so far and is alleviated by simply raising her feet when relaxing. 

She also had a follow up brain MRI for numerous brain Mets. This was her first follow up since diagnosis 

The two large lesions were greatly reduced in size. The 15 minor lesions were gone and there were no new lesions. 

We are hopeful that the Tabrecta played some role In this since she also had WBRT in April

She has her first PET scan next week since starting Tabrecta in May. Keeping our fingers crossed

[BridgetO]

This sounds really promising! Fingers crossed for your wife, and toes crossed too!

[jack14]

Glad to hear that! I had to stop taking it because it caused bilateral pneumonitis. I was experiencing shortness of breath with mild exertion, like walking short distances. I bought a pulse oximeter from Amazon to keep an eye on my oxygen levels and it was dropping into the lower eighties! 
I ignored it as I was scheduled to get an oxygen needs evaluation through the VA.

Anyway, I went to see my oncologist to get my check up and after I walked in with the nurse from the waiting area to the exam room, I was breathing so much that she sat me down and went to get my doctor. They were in a near panic, and ordered an emergency CT scan! They were thinking, PULMONARY EMBOLI. I sure was hoping not. That is a killer. The staff in the cancer center stayed past closing to take care of me. 

The results of the scan ruled out a PE, or an exasperation of my disease. It did reveal significant bilateral pneumonitis. The Tabrecta, which was helping to reduce my tumors, was immediately discontinued. I was given steroids and allowed to go home.    I was given a healthy dose of steroids and slowly got my breath back, thank the Lord.

So watch her breathing, and notify her doctor right away if it worsens. Good luck, and I hope it doesn’t give you guys any trouble.

[jack14]

Just saw the results from my last CT scan: IMPRESSION:
Radiation changes in the left upper lobe
No evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease.

My blood labs however revealed a lower platelet value, of 86. I see my Oncologist later today and suspect that she will probably take me off the Taxol Carboplatin for a month?

[Tom Galli]

Jack,

Your CT report is way understated. No evidence of disease--NED--is very worthy of grand celebration. 

How about that, Jack is NED!

Stay the course.

Tom

[Justin1970]

Jack,

That's brilliant news well done on NED now celebrating I hope 

Take care Justin 

[BridgetO]

Yay for Jack and NED, the cancer survivor's best friend!

[JC777]

Hello everyone! My dad just started taking the Tabrecta pills last September 11, 2022. So far he is tolerating it well. Prior to him taking the pills, he was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma with malignant pleural emission. So they were removing the fluid from his lungs via thoracentesis. He already had 3 removal of fluid, but the last one, which was a week ago ( around 20 days taking tabrecta) the doctor noticed less fluid on his lungs. We are hoping that the tabcrecta is helping with the reduction of the fluid.