Please please tell me what worked for your liver mets

HavahJ · 02-13-2008, 05:11 PM

My liver mets are small and numerous, exploding. Abraxane hasn't worked. Please tell me what chemo have worked on liver mets for you. I'm really desperate. It's a weird type of met. all these little mets.

Bill · 02-13-2008, 05:20 PM

Hi Jan, My wife's liver mets responded well to a combination of Taxol, Herceptin, and Lapatinib(Tykerb). Talk to your onc. about this. She also had mets too numerous to count. She was on this treatment for about 15 months. I know how stressful and crazy this is for you, sweetie, but try to give the treatment time to work. Also, in another post, you said you need "pain" support. Was that a typo.? Sometimes, checking the tumour markers too often can be misleading. I think 6-8 weeks may be the norm., I'm not sure, I hope someone who knows for sure can comment. We are all here for you, hoping and praying for your comfort and effective treatment. Love, Bill

Lolly · 02-13-2008, 09:42 PM

Hi Jan, I know it's so hard to hear "wait for the drugs to work" but it is about the only advice I can give, as in my case it's always a waiting game. I don't have liver mets, but very stubborn skin mets now, in addition to long standing lymph node mets which we've been treating since 2005. We've been bashing away at these new skin mets for over 6 months now; just starting to see some improvement. So please hang in there, and keep us posted. Liver mets are a tough one, but they can be beaten. They really can.

<3 Lolly

chrisy · 02-14-2008, 11:05 AM

HavahJ,

Have you had a new scan that shows the Abraxane did not work? or are you going by tumor markers? How long have you been on the Abraxane?

StephN did well on Navelbine/Herceptin. Very well, actually!
Taxol/Carboplatin/Herceptin knocked mine completely out in 2004, but it took about 6months.

Kim in CA · 02-14-2008, 11:29 AM

Dear Havah,

Add me to the list of those that had widespread liver mets, but are currently NED. I was on Taxotere and Herceptin for a little over 8 months and it really did the job. I ended up having the left lobe of my liver removed because there was a spot that kept showing up on scans, but it turned out to be scar tissue. In fact the whole left lobe was just a shriveled up prune!

I remember how scared I was, after getting the diagnosis. Our family doctor, who didn't know about Herceptin actually gave me materials to read about making end of life decisions! I was an emotional wreck, but figured I still had lots of fight in me, and was no where near ready to throw in the towel.

Please just know that there are still lots of options for liver mets. You can do it!

Love Kim

Lori R · 02-14-2008, 01:56 PM

Havah,
I was recently diagnosed and the liver met was part of the entire "package". But, I only had the one met, not multiple.

I am currently on Taxotere + Herceptin.

After 3 cycles...so 3* 3 weeks = 9 weeks I had a follow up Pet/CT scan and it looks like this combo is working.

Chemo #6 (and last round) will wrap up next week. Then a PET/CT is March or April.

Have you been down the Taxotere + Herceptin road?

Lori