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02-15-2007, 11:18 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: California's Gold Country
Posts: 404
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Dearest Lolly,
Just wanted to send a Big Hug and say I'm thinking of you. Those darned mets have got to go! I think about this everyday and wonder when the other shoe will drop for me. Are you going to be looking into Tykerb when it becomes available? Just know I'm sending prayers your way for little to no side effects with this one.
Love, Kim in CA
__________________
Diag. Feb 1997 4.5cm IDC <10%ER+, PR-. 5 out of 36 nodes +. Mastectomy followed by 3 rounds Adriamycin/Cytoxin.
5/1997 Hi Dose Chemo w/ Stem cell rescue. Spent 4 weeks in isolation ward. Then 6 weeks radiation.
9/2001 widespread mets to liver. 8 mos Taxotere/Herceptin brought me almost to NED. Stop Taxotere & add Femara .
11/2002 liver resection to remove spot that turned out to be necrosis. Officially NED!
7/2003 Tumor markers rising add Xeloda Disastrous reaction, 8 days hospital, but tumor markers came back to normal!
June -Dec 2004 UW Vaccine Trial.
7/2005 MRI single 11mm brain met
8/2005 Gamma Knife.
Brain MRI @3 months NED!
2006-2011 brain/body still NED
8/04/11 Taking Herceptin break, will monitor with tumor markers.
6/20/12 Tumor markers begin to rise. CA15-3 is 31.3 and Her2 Serum is at 17.1 Decide to repeat in one month.
7/23/12 CA15-3 now 49.3
Her2 Serum 26.8
8/6/12 Back on Herceptin
CA15-3 now 76
Her2 Serum now 49
11/7/12 Add weekly Taxotere for 4 cycles
2/2013 Stopped Taxotere added Perjeta. MRI shows approx. 50% reduction liver mets. CA15-3 still elevated @ 55. Will continue on just Herceptin & Perjeta.
November 2014 Continuing on Herceptin, Perjeta, and
Femara indefinitely. Guess I'm NED again, but watching those tumor markers carefully!
Dec. 2015 PET scan reveals mass in perirectal area of abdomen.biopsy confirms. Still Her2+, but no longer ER+. Bye bye Femara
Jan 2016 Begin Kadcyla
March 2016 PET scan shows tumor now barely visible, still NED everywhere else.
2016/2017 continue Kadcyla
November 2017 brain MRI reveals small focus of T2 hyperintensity with possible 4mm enhancing nodule. Short term follow up MRI suggested. Stay tuned...
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02-15-2007, 11:34 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,756
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Thanks for the support and advice, I will be hoping it works as well for me as it has for some of you; that's so encouraging and thanks so much. The minimal side effects sound good too. Will watch for swelling, my nurses told me to call in if ANYTHING out of the ordinary develops (ha! They know me too well).
My doctors and several Herceptin buddies and I are all waiting anxiously for Tykerb to be released, but my hope is that I'll be able to take a break if the Gemzar works well enough, and save Tykerb for down the road.
Keeping all of us in my thoughts and prayers.
<3 Lolly
__________________
Sept.'99 - Dx.Stage IIIB, IDC ER/PR-, HER2+++ by IHC, confirmed '04 by FISH. Left MRM, AC x's 4, Taxol x's 4, 33 Rads, finishing Tx May 2000. Jan.'01 - local/regional recurrence, Stage IV. Herceptin/Navelbine weekly till NED August 2001, then maintenance Herceptin. Right Mast. April 2002. Local/Regional recurrence April '04, Herceptin plus/minus chemo until May '07. Gemzar added from Feb.'07-April '07; Tykerb/Abraxane until August '07, back on Herceptin plus Taxotere and Xeloda Sept. '07. Stopped T/X Nov. '07, stopped Herceptin Dec. '07, started Avastin/Taxol/Carboplatin Dec. '07. Progression in chest skin, stopped TAC March '03, started radiation.
Herceptin has served as the "Backbone" of my treatment strategy for over 6 years, giving me great quality of life. In 2005, I was privileged to participate in the University of Washington/Seattle HER2 Vaccine Trial.
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02-15-2007, 11:36 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,357
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Hi Lolly!
Wish those mets would vanish like they're supposed to! How dare they mess up your Valentine's Day! I'm believing that the Gemzar will work for you with little or no side effects. I love looking at your picture! Here's hoping for smooth sailing for you.
mary anne
__________________
MA in TX.
Grateful for each and every day....
Diag. 12/05 at age 60
Stage II, Grade 3, 4.5 cm primary tumor
ER/PR- Her2 +3 strongly positive
Her2 by FISH 7.7 amplified
vascular invasion
Ki67 20% borderline
Jan - March '06 Taxotere/Adriamycin X 3 to try to shrink tumor - it grew
April '06 Rt Modified Radical Mas, 7 of 9 nodes positive
April - Aug. '06 Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin X 8 (dose dense)
Sept - Dec. '06 Navelbine/Herceptin x 8 (dose dense)
Radiation & Herceptin Jan. 22 - March 1, 2007
Finished Herceptin Dec. 10 '08! One extra year.
Port removed August, 2012.
8 1/2 years since diagnosis! 5 1/2 Years NED!
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02-15-2007, 07:12 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 543
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Lolly,
I am very optimistic that gemzar is going to work for you, based on several reports of its effectiveness.
For a possible extra boost check this (with your onc's blessing ,of course):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlu s&list_uids=16645328&query_hl=9&itool=pubmed_docsu m
Zoledronic acid (Zometa) enhances the cytotoxic effect of gemcitabine and fluvastatin: in vitro isobologram studies with conventional and nonconventional cytotoxic agents.
Oncology. 2006;70(2):147-53. Epub 2006 Apr 26.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum
Effect of n-3 fatty acids on the antitumour effects of cytotoxic drugs.
In Vivo. 2004 Sep-Oct;18(5):543-7.
Although this lab test shows no synergy between fatty acids & Gemzar (but also no antagonism), Omega-3's in animal studies have been effective against lymph nodes. The very least to expect is a reduction of inflamation.
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02-15-2007, 07:39 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,756
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Thank you, heblaj01, for the very interesting links regarding synergy with Gemzar. That was one of my questions to my onc, Herceptin/Gemzar synergy (apparently there may be, they just don't know yet for sure what the optimal Gemzar dose is to achieve synergy in a given individual; more research needed). Very interesting about fatty acids, and the Zometa effect. Here's the link for other's who might be interested:
Zolendronic Acid Enhances Cytotoxic Effect of Gemcitabine and Fluvastatin:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract
__________________
Sept.'99 - Dx.Stage IIIB, IDC ER/PR-, HER2+++ by IHC, confirmed '04 by FISH. Left MRM, AC x's 4, Taxol x's 4, 33 Rads, finishing Tx May 2000. Jan.'01 - local/regional recurrence, Stage IV. Herceptin/Navelbine weekly till NED August 2001, then maintenance Herceptin. Right Mast. April 2002. Local/Regional recurrence April '04, Herceptin plus/minus chemo until May '07. Gemzar added from Feb.'07-April '07; Tykerb/Abraxane until August '07, back on Herceptin plus Taxotere and Xeloda Sept. '07. Stopped T/X Nov. '07, stopped Herceptin Dec. '07, started Avastin/Taxol/Carboplatin Dec. '07. Progression in chest skin, stopped TAC March '03, started radiation.
Herceptin has served as the "Backbone" of my treatment strategy for over 6 years, giving me great quality of life. In 2005, I was privileged to participate in the University of Washington/Seattle HER2 Vaccine Trial.
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02-15-2007, 08:47 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Mountains of Virginia
Posts: 2,267
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Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers Lolly. You've been such support for me and a shining example. I know you will prevail in short order.
________
Live Sex Webshows
Last edited by sassy; 08-22-2011 at 09:05 AM..
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02-15-2007, 09:33 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 1,055
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Lolly and Sheila, I hope your new meds do the trick in beating back the nasties. I know it's not by choice, but thanks for trying out the meds for the rest of us. BB
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02-17-2007, 01:55 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 329
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Dear Lolly,
Best wishes for you with this new drug. Let us know the result. Best result I hope!
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