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Liver Mets Update & maybe some good news re: Perjeta
Hi Gang,
Well, I’m finally getting around to posting an update on my return to chemo and Herceptin after deciding to take a Herceptin Holiday after 6 years of being NED.
Quick recap: CA15-3 and Her2 Serum markers started rising in June 2012. Rechecked in July, still rising. Back on Herceptin alone in August. August 15th PET scan doesn’t show any active mets. On Nov. 7th, After 3 months of Herceptin and CA15-3 still not coming down, latest (Nov. 29th) “enhanced “MRI now shows "extensive" mets to liver, decided to add weekly Taxotere since it worked well for me in 2001/2002.
So, I just started my 3rd cycle of weekly Taxotere on Jan 2, and we are really wondering if the Taxotere is going to work for me this time. My CA 15-3 has been sort of bobbing up and down, but finally dropped a bit on Dec. 19th , it is now at 74.7, where as the Her 2 Serum has actually been coming down very gradually, but steadily. It was 14.5 on Dec. 19th. The problem that I am having is that the Taxotere is much harder on me this time around. The side effects after 2 months are as bad as they were at 7 months back in 2002.
In the meantime I had a consultation with a radiologist at UC San Francisco to see if I might be a candidate for cyberknife. Unfortunately I have too many spots for the cyberknife, but he did think I would be a candidate for radioembolization, and gave me the name of the doctor at UC that does it.
So, I’m anxious to discuss all of this with my doctor this week at my next appt., and also push for him to add Perjeta to the mix.
As an aside, our CAL-COBRA coverage will be ending on March 1 (currently through Blue Shield), and we’ve decided to go with Kaiser Pemanente since their premiums will be several hundred dollars less for their Guaranteed Issue/ HIPAA Plan. The good news in all of this, is that I have already met with a woman oncologist at Kaiser (really, really liked her!) to discuss my history and current treatment as a way to reassure myself that I will be able to l receive the care I will need going forward. One of the first things she said to me is that she would put me on Perjeta. This is something that my current oncologist has been dragging his feet about, saying that he doubted he could get it approved.
So…..stay tuned!
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Diag. Feb 1997 4.5cm IDC <10%ER+, PR-. 5 out of 36 nodes +. Mastectomy followed by 3 rounds Adriamycin/Cytoxin.
5/1997 Hi Dose Chemo w/ Stem cell rescue. Spent 4 weeks in isolation ward. Then 6 weeks radiation.
9/2001 widespread mets to liver. 8 mos Taxotere/Herceptin brought me almost to NED. Stop Taxotere & add Femara .
11/2002 liver resection to remove spot that turned out to be necrosis. Officially NED!
7/2003 Tumor markers rising add Xeloda Disastrous reaction, 8 days hospital, but tumor markers came back to normal!
June -Dec 2004 UW Vaccine Trial.
7/2005 MRI single 11mm brain met
8/2005 Gamma Knife.
Brain MRI @3 months NED!
2006-2011 brain/body still NED
8/04/11 Taking Herceptin break, will monitor with tumor markers.
6/20/12 Tumor markers begin to rise. CA15-3 is 31.3 and Her2 Serum is at 17.1 Decide to repeat in one month.
7/23/12 CA15-3 now 49.3
Her2 Serum 26.8
8/6/12 Back on Herceptin
CA15-3 now 76
Her2 Serum now 49
11/7/12 Add weekly Taxotere for 4 cycles
2/2013 Stopped Taxotere added Perjeta. MRI shows approx. 50% reduction liver mets. CA15-3 still elevated @ 55. Will continue on just Herceptin & Perjeta.
November 2014 Continuing on Herceptin, Perjeta, and
Femara indefinitely. Guess I'm NED again, but watching those tumor markers carefully!
Dec. 2015 PET scan reveals mass in perirectal area of abdomen.biopsy confirms. Still Her2+, but no longer ER+. Bye bye Femara
Jan 2016 Begin Kadcyla
March 2016 PET scan shows tumor now barely visible, still NED everywhere else.
2016/2017 continue Kadcyla
November 2017 brain MRI reveals small focus of T2 hyperintensity with possible 4mm enhancing nodule. Short term follow up MRI suggested. Stay tuned...
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