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08-05-2007, 03:08 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Southern, CA
Posts: 2,511
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I can't change things but...
I'm a bit disappointed after reading my oncologist progress notes yesterday. When first DX my 1st onc decided I should get TCH on a 3 wk schedule & herceptin wkly. He didn't notice my ANC count was in the dirt & I landed in the hospital week 3 of chemo. So I changed onc's once out of the hospital & I was reading the progress notes I have here and I see where my current onc said her preference would be to have me do *weekly* TCH because it was proven to be much more effective then every 3 weeks.
If that is so...why didn't she tell me?! (Rhetorical of course.) I was coming in *weekly* at the time for my herceptin anyway. It would of been easy. She never told me that wkly had been proven more effective. I can't help but be a bit ticked off. I know I can't change the past and can only go forward but I am just venting a bit! How many of you were on a *weekly* schedule? And if you were did your onc tell you studies showed the results were better then the 3 week schedule?
Chelee
__________________
DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes.
Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs.
Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06
Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07
3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07
9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV.
9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa
9-29-09 Power Port Placement
10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head.
11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed
12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa.
3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed.
4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone.
5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy.
Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time.
7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.
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08-05-2007, 07:35 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 292
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Chelee,
I am currently doing TCH, and I wasn't told about weekly being "better". Can you direct me somewhere that I can find out more on this?
How was TCH for you? I made a post tonight, which sounds like a crazy person, but I feel like a crazy person right now.
I am going to ask my onc. tomorrow about weekly vs. 3 weekly.
Krista
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08-05-2007, 08:16 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Streetsboro, Ohio
Posts: 365
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I asked to have the treatment weekly because it was a lower dose and less toxic. There were several elderly women at my treatment center that had this schedule. As far as which was a better treatment, I don't know about the others but TCH was the only tx. that put my tumor markers down in the normal range. Hope this helps. Lu Ann
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08-05-2007, 08:20 PM
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#4
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Guest
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See ASCO synopsis
I recently posted a synopsis of ASCO findings, where it discussed this issue. Apparently, findings show that weekly is better. You can read the synopsis and proceed from there to full report if you want more information.
It may be that these findings are relatively new so that your oncologists were not aware until now that weekly had better results. To be honest, I would have still done every three weeks as I found it more convenient.
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08-05-2007, 09:05 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Southern, CA
Posts: 2,511
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Grace, I missed your post on this issue so I will search it out and find it. I appreciate you telling me about it. I don't think these findings can be that new because my oncologist progress notes that I read this on was dated back in May of 06. Thats when I switched over to her. So she KNEW about this when I first started seeing her and she never told me about it.
I am a stage III'er with positive nodes and I could NOT have radiation...so anything that would of increased my odds I should of been told about. I would of gladly done weekly. I had to go weekly for herceptin anyway...so there would of been no difference.
I have a feeling like Lu Ann mentioned it may of even been easier on me because of smaller doses on weekly basis.
Chelee
__________________
DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes.
Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs.
Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06
Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07
3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07
9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV.
9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa
9-29-09 Power Port Placement
10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head.
11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed
12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa.
3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed.
4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone.
5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy.
Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time.
7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.
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08-06-2007, 04:43 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Maple Grove, MN
Posts: 67
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Hello!!
I was on it weekly also, my onc did suggest it, but she also mentioned the 3 weeks too, but i didn't want to go every 3 weeks.
__________________
Diagnosis bc june,2006.
3months of taxol and herceptin, nupregin shots weekly. Now herceptin only, her2 positive. stage III. Left breast, mastectomy with reconstrutive surgery.
Herceptin until 10/06. Due to low echogram numbers had to stop Herceptin indefinetly.
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08-06-2007, 08:40 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: france
Posts: 1,648
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I also got Taxol and Herceptin weekly for 6 months because my onc thought I would tolerate it better - it was a long drive about an hour each way and then in Nice it took most of the day because of the way they do things but I'm glad I did do it every week because I had no nausea and most side effects were tolerable ---- except the fatigue!!!
and the weight gain is annoying!
Since you're getting H every week, why not the chemo also??
sarah
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08-06-2007, 10:46 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Morris, IL
Posts: 3,507
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I am getting Taxol Weekly , Abraxane every 2 weeks and Herceptin every 2 weeks....very tolerable except for the fatigue, and weight gain....wonder if its the Decadron doing the weight gain thing?
__________________
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Hugs & Blessings
Sheila
Diagnosed at age 49.99999 2/21/2002 via Mammography (Calcifications)
Core Biopsy 2/22/02
L. Mastectomy 2/25/2002
Stage 1, 0.7cm IDC, Node Neg from 19 nodes Her2+++ ER PR Neg
6/2003 Reconstruction W/ Tissue Expander, Silicone Implant
9/2003 Stage IV with Mets to Supraclavicular nodes
9/2003 Began Herceptin every 3 weeks
3/2006 Xeloda 2500mg/Herceptin for recurrence to neck nodes
3/2007 Added back the Xeloda with Herceptin for continued mets to nodes
5/2007 Taken Off Xeloda, no longer working
6/14/07 Taxol/Herceptin/Avastin
3/26 - 5/28/08 Taxol Holiday Whopeeeeeeeee
5/29 2008 Back on Taxol w Herceptin q 2 weeks
4/2009 Progression on Taxol & Paralyzed L Vocal Cord from Nodes Pressing on Nerve
5/2009 Begin Rx with Navelbine/Herceptin
11/09 Progression on Navelbine
Fought for and started Tykerb/Herceptin...nodes are melting!!!!!
2/2010 Back to Avastin/Herceptin
5/2010 Switched to Metronomic Chemo with Herceptin...Cytoxan and Methotrexate
Pericardial Window Surgery to Drain Pericardial Effusion
7/2010 Back to walking a mile a day...YEAH!!!!
9/2010 Nodes are back with a vengence in neck
Qualified for TDM-1 EAP
10/6/10 Begin my miracle drug, TDM-1
Mixed response, shrinking internal nodes, progression skin mets after 3 treatments
12/6/10 Started Halaven (Eribulen) /Herceptin excellent results in 2 treatments
2/2011 I CELEBRATE my 9 YEAR MARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7/5/11 begin Gemzar /Herceptin for node progression
2/8/2012 Gemzar stopped, Continue Herceptin
2/20/2012 Begin Tomo Radiation to Neck Nodes
2/21/2012 I CELEBRATE 10 YEARS
5/12/2012 BeganTaxotere/ Herceptin is my next miracle for new node progression
6/28/12 Stopped Taxotere due to pregression, Started Perjeta/Herceptin
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08-06-2007, 07:11 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Southern, CA
Posts: 2,511
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Thanks for all the replies on this. Seems most are doing weekly or at least it was offered to them. I have an appt. with my onc next week and I think I will just come out and ask her why she didn't offer this to me since it has been proven to have better results? Its a shame I have to read her *progress notes* from last yr to find out about this.
Chelee
__________________
DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes.
Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs.
Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06
Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07
3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07
9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV.
9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa
9-29-09 Power Port Placement
10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head.
11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed
12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa.
3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed.
4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone.
5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy.
Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time.
7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.
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