Took a chance and it's working!! Good News...
 

Got results from my second MRI today since I was diagnosed with brain mets and started Tykerb/Xeloda. As most of you know, I lobbied my med onc and rads onc to scan me regularly and keep me on watchful waiting to see what kind of response we would get from the T/X crossing the BBB. I wasn't ready for WBR or targeted rads just yet. It was a coordinated decision among the three of us, and a calculated risk that we all agreed would be OK, as long as I stayed well scanned, TMs looked good, had no brain mets symptoms. The minute one of those things indicated otherwise, I was ready to consider targeted rads. Well, TMs (CA15.3) have dropped from 45 to 9 since the middle of May and have stabilized at 9, and the MRI showed today that the five punctate spots are no longer visible and the three bigger spots have shrunk between 1/3 and 1/2 in size in the last six weeks...

My onc is very excited. Says I am a poster child for Tykerb/Xeloda. I wonder if they need one? I could use some mailbox money... LOL.

Just wanted to share! No rads necessary, at least not yet. T/X is still working its magic.

Brenda,
That is wonderful new!!!! You have my vote for being the poster child! Have a great day.
Debbie in North Carolina

Excellent News! Congratulations.

Carolyns

Our poster girl!
 

Wow, great news! Sounds like Tykerb is doing it's magic on you!
You have my vote as their poster child as well.
Congratulations!
Keep up the good work!
Hugs,
Michelle

Great news, you have my vote as well!

Hi Brenda,


YIIIIPPPEEEEEEE! You are my inspiration, girl! That is such fabulous news. I am so fearful of brain mets and am so glad to hear that you were courageous enough to test the hypothesis that crossing the BBB would work. I'm grinning ear to ear just typing this!

I saw my onc today too and liver enzymes are still in the normal range! So we'll check blood work every 3 weeks and get scanned again in mid-September. So far so good! Lovin the magic T/X cocktail!

Thanks everyone!

Doh2pa - Congrats on the T/X and liver mets! Lets keep it up!!! T/X forever, I say....

Brenda that is awesome news! We really needed a good option for brain mets, and it is looking like Tykerb/Xeloda may be a winning combination.

I am glad that the side effects are so tolerable too!

I have been on it for about 4 months now, and doing pretty well.