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

Chelee · 02-11-2010, 01:18 AM

My onc called this morning to tell me my TM's are up. They were down to 23 and now as of this last Monday they jumped up to 29. Still under the reference range but not what I wanted to hear. We have found TM's are very reliable for me.
My onc had me on wkly "bine" and kept reducing my dose for an entire month. Now we have been doing the every 2 wk dose that was recommended by the City of Hope onc I saw. This way it's been hitting me harder but able to control my counts without reducing the dose. So I can't help but wonder if the TM'ers jumped up because the chemo is working. I know if the chemo is working it can at times pick up dying cancer cells which show a rise in TM'ers. That happened to me once when I did TCH towards my 5th trt, then it went back down and stayed there. Hopefully I will see my TMs go down next time then I will feel better about this.

As to my bone mets I have to correct myself. My PET reports says "there is abnormal sclerosis of the left femoral head...and left ilium. Which I don't understand...it says slightly more prominent since prior exam. (The left femoral head wasn't even mentioned in my last exam...so how can it be worse.) Plus in "Impressions" it says shotty cervical lymph nodes slightly increased. The only real improvement at all was in the right axilla...it showed a slight decrease. When my onc called this morning she said she feels I should stay on this trt for now and thinks any 2nd opinion onc I go too would agree. She only called to tell me about my rising TMs because she knows how mad I would be if she didn't. So I don't know if I should stay on this 2 wk dose of Navelbine/Herceptin for a while longer or what? At least we can maintain the full dose this way with the support of Neupogen.

Chelee

02-11-2010, 01:18 AM	#20
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Re: Only "slight" decrease on PET....is it time My onc called this morning to tell me my TM's are up. They were down to 23 and now as of this last Monday they jumped up to 29. Still under the reference range but not what I wanted to hear. We have found TM's are very reliable for me. My onc had me on wkly "bine" and kept reducing my dose for an entire month. Now we have been doing the every 2 wk dose that was recommended by the City of Hope onc I saw. This way it's been hitting me harder but able to control my counts without reducing the dose. So I can't help but wonder if the TM'ers jumped up because the chemo is working. I know if the chemo is working it can at times pick up dying cancer cells which show a rise in TM'ers. That happened to me once when I did TCH towards my 5th trt, then it went back down and stayed there. Hopefully I will see my TMs go down next time then I will feel better about this. As to my bone mets I have to correct myself. My PET reports says "there is abnormal sclerosis of the left femoral head...and left ilium. Which I don't understand...it says slightly more prominent since prior exam. (The left femoral head wasn't even mentioned in my last exam...so how can it be worse.) Plus in "Impressions" it says shotty cervical lymph nodes slightly increased. The only real improvement at all was in the right axilla...it showed a slight decrease. When my onc called this morning she said she feels I should stay on this trt for now and thinks any 2nd opinion onc I go too would agree. She only called to tell me about my rising TMs because she knows how mad I would be if she didn't. So I don't know if I should stay on this 2 wk dose of Navelbine/Herceptin for a while longer or what? At least we can maintain the full dose this way with the support of Neupogen. 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.