my liver biopsy came back positive

Please give me info!!! My a newby!

I found out my liver biopsy shows a reoccurance. My onc. phoned and said we would probably start with weekly infusions of herceptin and navelbine. I was on herceptin for a year, but I've never heard of Navelbine. What are the side effects? Will I need help at home with my kids? Will I loose my hair again? How many weeks does the treatment go on and has it effective for any of you?

Melissa from Texas

[cathy34]

Alot of the really nice ladies on this site responded to my similar question.
I have lung mets and have been through a bunch of other chemos and nothing seemed to work. I too have been on herceptin before but only herceptin not combined with a chemo. I just had my first navelbine (w/o herceptin) last Friday Jan 6th. They gave me kytril before it. I was naseau when I got home. Wasn't 100% myself. My husband went to work and my parents came over to help me with my 3 kids ages 8, 7 and 2 year old. I just had a bad headache, but that could've been the kytril. On Sat I still wasn't myself until around the afternoon - almost 24 hours after getting the navelbine. This friday, I'll get the Navelbine with the herceptin. I had to wait on the herceptin until my onc. got my echocardiogram results.
How old are you? I'm 37

Cathy

[michele u]

Melissa,

How long ago did you take Herceptin for a year? They are doing alot of radiofrequency for liver mets now and getting good results. Has your dr. mentioned that? They will put you back on Herceptin with Navelbine won't they?

I'm 40 with 2 kids 7 and 10. I did my herceptin in 2004. Any more info out there on the navelbine?

Melissa from Texas

[StephN]

Hi ladies -
It always pains me a little extra to see you young mothers with little ones have to go through this.

Navelbine worked for me against some raging liver mets 4 years ago. I took it along with Taxol and Herceptin and the effect was 100% and I have been on Herceptin alone since NED. Was not able to get the Herceptin until I metted which was only 6 months after the end of adjuvent. You may be in a category where your cancer was "out of the bag" and the Herceptin only slowed it down. Or one where the Herceptin is not as effective as we DO know that it is not a cure for everyone.
Your cancer cells may use slightly different pathways than what Herceptin alone can shut down.
Taking 3 minutes to get a basic understanding of how the different drugs work can go a long way to easing your mind.
Navelbine is in a class of drugs called called Antimitotic, which means that it will interrupt the cell proliferation while it is trying to divide. It does not allow the "mitosis" to complete and the cells dies.
Herceptin tries to shut down the cancer cells by clamping onto the protein receptors that would stimulate cell division. When you have two drugs going after the cancer cells each in a different way you have a better chance to kill the tumors and to get the stray cells that could start tumors.

Hair loss - Navelbine without a taxane on a weekly basis should allow you to keep most of your hair. And the side effects are not too severe. I was never nauseaus and was able to cut down on the premeds. Your white and red blood counts may need support with Neulasta or Epo.
All best wishes - keep us posted, OK?

Stephn,

Thanks! That was great info. It is really helpful to get the specifics to understand the treatment. Do you think herceptin will be effective for me if I was on for a year and then off for a year? I am in the blood serum study and I was told that nothing was evident 6 months ago.

Also, what is the average number of weekly infusions with the navelbine/herceptin? Will I be wiped out by the end? I'm just trying to figure out what kind of help I need to get for my family. I see my onc. Fri. afternnoon and I think we may start infusions.

Melissa from Texas

Melissa,
You have a port for your infusions, right?

I was on Navelbine/Herceptin for just a few months over three yrs ago. There is something we call 'pinball' pains that some of us have experienced with the Navelbine. These are sharp, short-lived stabbing pains that seem to jump from one place to another all over the trunk area. It lessens over the course of treatment. The worst seems to be in the first few days of infusion.

Also a severe cramp/pain in the jaw that lasted 1/2 hr for me the first iv, then just 10 mins the 2nd time...and not again after that.

The fatique is cumulative. Ofcourse, risk of infections go up as counts go down.

I had MINIMAL hair loss, just thinning that no one else noticed. No nausea as long as I took my meds as prescribed. My schedule was three weeks on, one off the Navelbine, having Herceptin alone on the fourth week.

It was very 'doable'. However, if I had had small children to take care of? I would have been thankful for help of some kind, at the 'ready' to assist me when I was feeling low.
hope this helps a little. Best of wishes to you for a successful run on this combination,
pattyz

12-1999: Age 50, Dx'd Invasive Ductal & Inflammatory. Two tumors, upper and lower inside quadrants R/breast.

1-2000: Mast., 6/26 pos. nodes. ER+PR-, Heu2+++ StageIIIb - 4rnds A/C, no rads (my choice & no medical ins.)

7-2002: Dx'd mediastinal node/s mets, (surgical biopsy), 'spot' on lung and pelvis. Arimidex briefly.

9-2002: Dx'd brain mets. (mininally symptomatic) Two lesions, 1.5cm, 6mm. SRS focalized tx successful. Refused WBR.

11-2002: Navelbine/Herceptin 4rnds for systemic mets, scans show NED.

3-2003: Progression of brain mets. 14 new lesions visable. Asymptomatic. Continue to refuse WBR. "Watch and wait " approach. Treat in small batches with two more SRS, two CyberKnife procedures through 5-2004. NED in body.

3-2005: Progression brain mets - maybe 10 new lesions, asymptomatic. (otherwise NED) Again 'watch and wait' approach until...

8-2005: Dizzy 24/7 in the course of just one day. Begin Temodar/Xeloda.

9-28-2005: Following 2 rnds, MRi shows response of nearly 50% shrinkage in many brain mets, including brainstem/pons. Dizziness gone.

11-28-2005: MRi duplicate of previous films- after 4rnds T/X, mets remain responsive w/ more shrinkage nearing 50%. Continue Temodar/Xeloda.


12-19-2005: Onc confers w/rad onc re: past scans. Determine that some of the 'new' lesions are not new at all, but old treated spots just vaguely visable.

[cathy34]

to me also. I too will start the Navelbine/Herceptin combo this Friday. I had first round of Navelbine last Friday (alone no herc.) I just got the results of my echo - my EF is now up to 59% so thats a "go" for Friday's herceptin.

I will tell up Melissa, today is day 7 for me on my first Navelbine and I'm exhausted! I felt like I was crawlling this morning so I went back to sleep for about 1 hour got up and now I'm at work.

Cathy