Hi! I really need your help and prayers again. My lung mets are starting to grow again after being stable for 2 months on Gemzar/Herceptin. I have taken all the old standards, Taxol, Taxotere, Xeloda, Adrimycin, Carboplatin, Navelbine. Nothing seems to work longer than 2 months. I have been on Chemotherapy for 2 years trying to beat these lung mets. What combo's are working for you with lung mets? Anyone on good clinical trials that show some promise? I need all the help I can get. I am not ready to quit fighting. I have a doctor's appt. this Thursday to discuss my next options. I hope I hear from you before then so I can present some ideas to her. Thank you.

Hi Hope,

I'm sorry that your having to face this...maybe this will help. I have been on a clinical trial of avastin and taxol. We don't know if it's the avastin, taxol or both but something is working for my lung mets...I know they are trying avastin with other drugs...ask your doctor about it. I hear it may be getting approved for bc and some insurance companies are paying for it (don't quote me) It's been approved for colon cancer...best of luck and keep us posted

Warmly,

judiek


History

Discovered lump Sept. 2002 (mammo didn’t pick it up)
Dx Oct 2002-just turned 41
IDC and pagets disease, stage 2B, grade 3/3, nottingham scale 9/9
3cm, lumpectomy,clean margins
er/pr-pos, her2 neg, 2/25 nodes w/cancer
Nov 2002-March 2003-FEC (5fu, epirubicin, cytoxen)
March 2003- started tamoxifen
May 2003- finished rads (33tx)
June 2003-CT/PET Scan- clear
Started 3 month check ups w/lab
Dec 2003-complete hysterectomy
Jan 2004-extensive mets, both lungs & liver(labs normal)
Jan -stopped tamoxifen
Feb CEA-23 (0-3 normal) CA27.29-66.1 (0-38 normal)
Feb 23to current-clinical trial, taxol & avastin
April 15th, -CT-significant shrinkage on all tumors/plueral effusion gone
June 8th -CT-all liver lesions decreased in size/lung mets gone
Aug 9th, -CA27.29 is 22.3, CEA is .8)
Aug 9th, 2004-Brain-CT neg, lung mets/pleural effusion still gone, liver mets had slight shrinkage. Largest hypodesne lesion is 2.1cm, 6 others 1cm or less.
Sept 13th-bone scan negative, mri revealed herniated disc.
Sept 27- Ct of brain, negative/lung mets still gone/ 2 liver lesions gone, 4 under 1cm, 1 @1.7cm.
Nov 29-CT shows stable, lungs still clear, liver tumors stable
Dec 28th-CA27.29 is 23.4 / CEA 2.8...slowly rising

Hi Hope: I was sorry to hear your news about your lung mets. I don't recall all of your history but my Mom seems to be doing well on FEMARA. She shows no signs of her lung mets ie. shortness of breath, lung pain, fluid build up since the TALC proceedure she had done and starting the FEMARA. I believe you have to be ER/PR positive to take FEMARA so I don't know if you would be able to use it if you are not ER/PR positive. She has been on it for about three months now and will be going in for tumor markers this next week. We are hopeing to see a decrease. They were in the eighties when she started. Please keep me posted as to how you are doing. Take Care, Linda

Hi Hope,
Sorry to hear about your struggle. Have they ruled-out radiation therapy as an option?
Take care,
Al

Hope, I have also heard good things about Avastin. I hope your spirits remain positive, the mind/body connection is such an important part of fighting this disease when we are on chemo so long. Hang in there, and I'll be sending prayers your way.

Love, Lolly

Hi Hope,
I've heard that it is possible to "re-visit" previously used chemos..perhaps this would be another option, especially if there was one that worked rather well. Please let us know how you are doing.

How about alimta, a new drug approved for lung cancer but has shown good results in breast cancer. You might have to fight your insurance company though. Another possibility is oxaliplatin, in the same class as carboplatin and approved for colon cancer but also has had some good results with bc.

Good luck!