HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Only "slight" decrease on PET....is it time

Chelee · 02-06-2010, 01:22 AM

Rich, You make a good point to my first question about changing chemo combo's. I'm not clear yet about the mentioned "increase". It does not say for sure it's cancer. As to my femur the PET doesn't say anything about it other then mentioning there was interval internal fixation of right femur. I'll have to see what my onc says. The PET did not mention any activity on right femur so that is a good thing.

As to the dosing intervals for Navelbine...my onc started me out at the regular dose but since my counts tanked she decreased my dose each wk to almost nothing. I wasn't happy with her when I found that out. She could of been giving me Neupogen right away versas decreasing my dose of Navelbine. I started out wkly on Navy beans...then because she left for a "month" she changed my schedule to every 2 wks while she was away. So I can't help but wonder if I would of had better results had she not reduced my dose 3 wks in a row?!

That's why I'm still hoping some stage IV gals might weight in here. How long before you should see a good decrease in all area's? Is two months long enough or not? I'll make sure we stay on the full dose of Navelbine this time. No more short changing me.

Chelee

02-06-2010, 01:22 AM	#7
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Re: Only "slight" decrease on PET....is it time Rich, You make a good point to my first question about changing chemo combo's. I'm not clear yet about the mentioned "increase". It does not say for sure it's cancer. As to my femur the PET doesn't say anything about it other then mentioning there was interval internal fixation of right femur. I'll have to see what my onc says. The PET did not mention any activity on right femur so that is a good thing. As to the dosing intervals for Navelbine...my onc started me out at the regular dose but since my counts tanked she decreased my dose each wk to almost nothing. I wasn't happy with her when I found that out. She could of been giving me Neupogen right away versas decreasing my dose of Navelbine. I started out wkly on Navy beans...then because she left for a "month" she changed my schedule to every 2 wks while she was away. So I can't help but wonder if I would of had better results had she not reduced my dose 3 wks in a row?! That's why I'm still hoping some stage IV gals might weight in here. How long before you should see a good decrease in all area's? Is two months long enough or not? I'll make sure we stay on the full dose of Navelbine this time. No more short changing me. 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.