Did you get Taxol? If not, is it now too late?

Barbara2 · 10-13-2007, 09:55 PM

Drug a New Weapon Against One Form of Breast Cancer

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter Wednesday, October 10, 2007

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WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- When added to a standard chemotherapy, the drug paclitaxel (Taxol) cuts the recurrence of breast cancer by 41 percent in women with a particular form of tumor, a new study finds.<O

Those tumors are called "HER2-positive" because their cells produce an excess of the protein human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2).<O

In recent years, cancer specialists have found that breast tumors with different characteristics respond differently to various regimens. The new study adds another piece to that puzzle, experts say...

I wanted and asked for Taxol back in early 2003. At that time, they didn't know (as much about) what is known today about Taxol and Her2+ cancer, and my onc was not too hep on the idea. Then, due to complications with my port, I had to have it removed after finishing the FEC chemo, and the "whether or not to get Taxol" issue came to a close.

When I took herceptin (2 years late), my onc told me I could have Taxol if I wanted it, but that I would have to stop taking the Arimidex, so I turned down the offer. Now it looks like they know for sure, that Taxol is an important part of the cocktail for Her2+breast cancer.

I would suppose it's crazy to think about wanting Taxol now. Plus it would mean stopping Arimidex. Is there anyone else who didn't get Taxol, that is thinking about asking for it "after the fact?"

Here's a link to that whole article:

http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-...161718-31.html