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06-14-2009, 10:26 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 510
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Lung mets during active chemo treatment??
Hi everyone,
I'm trying not to be paranoid, but for the past few days I've had a cough that seems to be getting worse. It started with a sore throat a couple of weeks ago and a fever that put me in the ER for 4 hours overnight while I waited for the results of my blood and urine tests (all normal). The sore throat got better (and the fever was gone when I arrived in the ER), but I seem to be very sensitive to air conditioners or changes in temperature. I've been coughing almost the whole weekend as if there's something tickling my throat.
So now I'm paranoid that I have lung mets. I'll go in for a chest X-ray tomorrow before my chemo (3rd dose of Taxotere) on Tuesday. The chest x-ray had already been scheduled as part of the clinical trial I'm in to monitor for side effects of Tykerb.
In any case, is it possible that I've developed lung mets during my active treatment? What are the changes of that? I hope/believe what I have may just be a cold, but thought I'd check anyways. Has anyone had a stage I-III cancer progress to stage IV during active treatment?
Thank you so much!!!
__________________
ER+ (30%)/PR-/HER-2+, stage 3
Diagnosed on 02/18/09 at 38 with a huge 12x10 cm tumor, after a 6 month delay. Told I was too young and had no risk factors. Found swollen node during breastfeeding.
March-August 09: neo-adjuvant chemo, part of a trial at Stanford (4 DD A/C, 4 Taxotere with daily Tykerb), loading dose of Herceptin
08/12/09 - bye bye boobies (bilateral mastectomy)
08/24/09 - path report shows 100 % success in breast tissue (no cancer there, yay!), 98 % success in lymphatic invasion, and even though 11/13 nodes were still positive, > 95 % of the tumor in them was killed. Hoping for the best!
September-October 09: rads with daily Xeloda
02/25/10 - Cholecystectomy
05/27/10 - Bone scan clear
06/14/10 - CT scan clear, ovarian cyst found
07/27/10 - Done with Herceptin!
02/15/11 - MVA-BN HER-2 vaccine trial
03/15/11 - First CA 15-3: 12.7 and normal, yay!
10/01/11 - Bone scan and CT scan clear, fatty liver found
now on Tamoxifen and Aspirin
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06-15-2009, 04:48 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,526
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Hi,I am also on taxotere and herceptin and have had a sore throat, slight temp and a cough. I remember when having herceptin alone that I had slight sinusitis ,cough and sore throat from time to time.
My onc says that these symptoms are very common with this combination of drugs.
Please try not to worry at this stage. I know it is so hard not to as everything triggers an anxiety about this damn disease.
Please keep us posted of how you are.
Thinking of you
Ellie
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06-15-2009, 10:31 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Bayarea,CA
Posts: 679
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Hi Bejuce,
I often had sore throat and low grade fever during my treatement. It was nothing although I often wondered if there was progression. This is the legacy of this disease...
Praying for you to soon find out that it is just a common cold and nothing more.
peace,
shobha
__________________
DX: 06-30-2007 - left breast -stage IIIB, Her2/Neu 3+++, ER weakly positive, PR-
Taxol+herceptin weekly for 3 months
FEC+herceptin every 3 weeks for 3 months
BRCA 1 and 2 - Negative
Jan 2008 - Bilateral mastectomy, prophylactic Rt. side.
Radiation for 5 weeks
Completed my yr of herceptin on 07-14-2008
Brain MRI - 3/2/09 Clean
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06-16-2009, 03:13 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Hershey, PA. Live The Sweet Life!
Posts: 2,005
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Bejuce,
It is possible to progress while undergoing treatment. That said, I'd like to remind you that Herceptin and Tykerb cause their fair share of irritation to our throats, eyes, sinuses, etc. I have had my worst year ever for allergies since being on Herceptin. I do notice that I have a cough for a few days post infusion sometimes. My lungs just feel "itchy" after an infusion sometimes, though not always. I'm betting you are having some kind of reaction to the drugs, but you really do need to check it out for peace of mind.
Please post again to let us know how your xray turned out!
__________________
Smile On!
Laurel
Dx'd w/multifocal DCIS/IDS 3/08
7mm invasive component
Partial mast. 5/08
Stage 1b, ER 80%, PR 90%, HER-2 6.9 on FISH
0/5 nodes
4 AC, 4 TH finished 9/08
Herceptin every 3 weeks. Finished 7/09
Tamoxifen 10/08. Switched to Femara 8/09
Bilat SPM w/reconstruction 10/08
Clinical Trial w/Clondronate 12/08
Stopped Clondronate--too hard on my gizzard!
Switched back to Tamoxifen due to tendon pain from Femara
15 Years NED
I think I just might hang around awhile....
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06-16-2009, 06:18 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 510
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Thank you everyone for your concern and support. I had my chest X-ray yesterday and today it was confirmed that the results were all clear, thank God! So it must indeed have been a cold or a reaction to the drugs.
Thank you again and good luck to all of you in your treatments and road to recovery!
__________________
ER+ (30%)/PR-/HER-2+, stage 3
Diagnosed on 02/18/09 at 38 with a huge 12x10 cm tumor, after a 6 month delay. Told I was too young and had no risk factors. Found swollen node during breastfeeding.
March-August 09: neo-adjuvant chemo, part of a trial at Stanford (4 DD A/C, 4 Taxotere with daily Tykerb), loading dose of Herceptin
08/12/09 - bye bye boobies (bilateral mastectomy)
08/24/09 - path report shows 100 % success in breast tissue (no cancer there, yay!), 98 % success in lymphatic invasion, and even though 11/13 nodes were still positive, > 95 % of the tumor in them was killed. Hoping for the best!
September-October 09: rads with daily Xeloda
02/25/10 - Cholecystectomy
05/27/10 - Bone scan clear
06/14/10 - CT scan clear, ovarian cyst found
07/27/10 - Done with Herceptin!
02/15/11 - MVA-BN HER-2 vaccine trial
03/15/11 - First CA 15-3: 12.7 and normal, yay!
10/01/11 - Bone scan and CT scan clear, fatty liver found
now on Tamoxifen and Aspirin
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06-16-2009, 06:34 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 2,214
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Bejuce,
That is such great news! We've all been there wondering if we have these symptoms due to a metastasis. I'm happy for you.
Keep us posted on how you are doing.
__________________
Diagnosed 2007
Stage IIb Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Pagets, 3 of 15 positive nodes
Traditional Treatment: Mastectomy and Axillary Node Dissection followed by Taxotere, 6 treatments and 1 year of Herceptin, no radiation
Former Chemo Ninja "Takizi Zukuchiri"
Additional treatments:
GP2 vaccine, San Antonio Med Ctr
Prescriptive Exercise for Cancer Patients
ENERGY Study, UCSD La Jolla
Reconstruction: TRAM flap, partial loss, Revision
The content of my posts are meant for informational purposes only. The medical information is intended for general information only and should not be used in any way to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease
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06-16-2009, 09:23 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,142
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Lung mets during active chemo treatment??
If your white blood counts are a little low you might have caught a cold or some other "bug". The xray will probably show areas of concern if there are any.
Take care.
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06-16-2009, 09:29 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: RHODE ISLAND
(Ed getting me a latte on 2nd Cancerversary Cruise 2008)
'BELIEVE': To accept as true or real, To have faith in, To presume
ALWAYS BELIEVE
Posts: 2,999
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Awesome news to share with us and glad we can share in your relief.>>Believe51
__________________
9/7/06Husband 50yrs=StageIV IBC/HER2+,BoneMets10/06TaxotereX10,'H'1X wk,Zometa,Tamoxifen4/12/07Last Tax5/18/07Pet=Rapid Cell Activity,No Organ Mets,Lytic Lesions,Degeneration,Some Bone Repair5/07ChemoFail6/01/07Pleural Thoracentisis=Effusions,NoMalignantCells6/19/07+7/2/07DFCI
6/25/07BrainMRI=BrainMets,Many<9mm7/10/07WBR/PelvisRad37.5Gx15&Nutritionist8/19/07T/X9/20/07BrainMRI=2<2mm10/6/07Pet=BoneProgression
10/24/07ChemoFail11/9/07A/Cx10,EndTam12/7/07Faslodex12/10/07Muga7512/13/07BlasticLesions1/7/08BrainMRI=Clear4/1/08Pet=BoneImprovement,
NoProgression,Stable4/7/08BrainPerfect5/16/08Last A/C8/26/08BrainMets=10(<9mm)9/10/08Gamma10/30/08Met=5mm12/19/08Gamma5mets5
12/22/08SpinalMets1/14/09SpinalRads2/17/09BrainMRI=NoNewMets4/20/09BoneScan5/14/09Ixempra6/1/09BrainMRI=NumerousMets6/24/09DFCIw/DrBurstein6/26/09Continue
Ixempra/Faslodex/Zometa~TM now lower7/17/09Stop Ixempra By Choice9/21/09HOSPICE10/16/09Earned His Deserved Wings And Halo=37 Month Fight w/Stage 4 IBC, Her2+++,My Hero!!
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06-17-2009, 07:18 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Wilmington, Del.
Posts: 1,126
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I got a respiratory infection during my AC treatments. I had a persistent cough during herceptin. Called it the Herceptin cough. It stopped a few months after Herceptin treatments ended. That said, take very good care of yourself. You don't want to get a bad cold or infection during chemo. Stay out of drug stores -- that's where sick people go to get their medicine!
__________________
MJO
IDC, Stage I, Grade 2
Oncotype DX Score 32
Her2++ E+P+, Node Neg.
Lumpectomy 11/04/05 Clear Margins
3 Dose dense AC (Couldn't tolerate 4)
4 Dose dense Taxol & Herc. (Tolerated well)
36 weeks Herceptin (Could not complete one year due to decrease in MUGA score)
2 years of Arimidex, then three years of Femara
Finished Femara May 2011
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06-17-2009, 10:30 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Stockton, NJ
Posts: 4,179
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There is also a syndrome called chemo cough. I had it for 6 weeks while on chemo. Thank goodness it ended before chemo did. It started about a week or 2 after my second AC and continued until I was almost done. This happened to another woman I know too.
Secondly, Herceptin and the taxanes can be quite allergic and allergies can cause coughs even though, in general, one feels quite well (and has very few other allergic type symptoms).
__________________
Kind regards
Becky
Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia
NED 18 years!
Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
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