When it rains, it pours...luckily my mom has a big umbrella...PET SCAN results...K-RAS mutation??

marc24
marc24 Member Posts: 92
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Well i was at work when I decided to call my mom and dad for the news regarding her appointment with the oncologist...basically he broke the unfortunate news that the chemo is basically shooting blanks and not affecting the cancer in my mom's liver.....since i wasn't with them, my mom mentioned something about KRAS mutation...i was reading up on it but i guess its a gene mutation that makes some chemo drugs not work?? So basically long story short, the chemo didnt help my mom's liver mets but when she asked about her colorectal cancer, the doc just said don't really worry about that, lets focus on your liver...either this is a sign that the chemo helped the colorectal cancer, or if the onc knows that the liver issue is far more important right now...my mom is in good spirits and the onc gave her 2 options still, continue on with the chemo but maybe subsitute a drug here and there, and again wait for a biopsy of whatever else the pathologist found...blah blah blah...really i am getting tired of this and i can tell my mom is too...she just gave it a big shrug, she said she cried but after a few minutes, she accepted it full on and take on whatever else is next for her. OVErall, the onco visit wasnt a success in terms of good news, but i also didn't have a sense of immediate panic...like i said, my mom has a huge umbrella to take on all this bad weather.


the onc just said to be positive and live happy, which my mom is continually doing...she will keep fighting. In short, do you guys know wht K-RAS mutation is or if you heard this in any of your onc visits for your treatments??

Comments

  • sheri22
    sheri22 Member Posts: 273
    #2
    Yes
    Marc

    Yes my DR just mentined this to me on my last appt there are some chemo that wont
    work with it I also have it, but the chemo my DR has me on is working great so far
    in Jan I had 125 cea level it has come down to 12 and my CT scan showed that the cancer in the colon and lungs has shrank a lot, My DR had me on campcazore and others I dont know the names are but I hope this info helps

    Sheri22
  • pf78248
    pf78248 Member Posts: 209
    #3
    KRAS Mutation
    So sorry to hear about your Mom. I am sure she is thrilled to have a son like you who cares so much. This mutation is a mutation of cells in her tumor and is a determining factor in whether the Erbitux drug is effective or not. If you have the mutation, it apparently doesn't do any good to take this drug. If you google it, you will find this study came out last summer. My husband had taken several rounds of this drug last year and when the study came out, his tumor was tested and also found to be positive for the KRAS mutation. So the doctor took him off the drug. Please don't worry too much about it. There are many chemotherapy drugs that your Mom can try.

    If your are able, and your Mom is willing, you may want to accompany her to visits to her doctor. You can sure get a lot of questions answered that way. Sometimes patients themselves need an advocate who is knowledgeable and willing to ask a lot of questions.

    I recommended the America Cancer Society's Guide to Colorectal Cancer to another caregiver today. It's an excellent book and you can order it through ACS or Amazon, and it's probably available locally, too. It is full of valuable information on this awful disease.

    Good luck and prayers for your Mom.

    Priscilla
  • dmdwins
    dmdwins Member Posts: 454 Member
    #4
    pf78248 said:

    KRAS Mutation
    So sorry to hear about your Mom. I am sure she is thrilled to have a son like you who cares so much. This mutation is a mutation of cells in her tumor and is a determining factor in whether the Erbitux drug is effective or not. If you have the mutation, it apparently doesn't do any good to take this drug. If you google it, you will find this study came out last summer. My husband had taken several rounds of this drug last year and when the study came out, his tumor was tested and also found to be positive for the KRAS mutation. So the doctor took him off the drug. Please don't worry too much about it. There are many chemotherapy drugs that your Mom can try.

    If your are able, and your Mom is willing, you may want to accompany her to visits to her doctor. You can sure get a lot of questions answered that way. Sometimes patients themselves need an advocate who is knowledgeable and willing to ask a lot of questions.

    I recommended the America Cancer Society's Guide to Colorectal Cancer to another caregiver today. It's an excellent book and you can order it through ACS or Amazon, and it's probably available locally, too. It is full of valuable information on this awful disease.

    Good luck and prayers for your Mom.

    Priscilla

    I am a mutant also
    Hi Mark

    I have the KRAS mutation also.Many others on this site do as well. As Pricilla said, Erbitux is not effective for those of us with Kras mutation but works well for those with wild-type. It is good that they know that information so that time is not wasted on a drug that is not effective for your mon.

    The first thing my oncologist did while I was healing from surgery was to test my tumor so that we could come up with a treatment plan and know whether Erbitux would be an option down the road if we needed it. I hope everyones oncologist tests them. It SHOULD be commom practice now so that ineffective drugs are not given to those that have the KRAS mutation.

    You and your Mom take care!

    Dawn
  • luv3jay
    luv3jay Member Posts: 533 Member
    #5
    I also have the mutation!
    I also have the mutation! But they chemo drugs that I am on have been very effective and I am now NED! The Folfox/Avastin completely melted the primary tumor in my rectum and considerably shrank the tumors in my liver. So there is much hope for your mom!

    Sheri
  • lesvanb
    lesvanb Member Posts: 905
    #6
    luv3jay said:

    I also have the mutation!
    I also have the mutation! But they chemo drugs that I am on have been very effective and I am now NED! The Folfox/Avastin completely melted the primary tumor in my rectum and considerably shrank the tumors in my liver. So there is much hope for your mom!

    Sheri

    Me too
    My tumor was tested at my first surgery LAR resection and I have the K RAS mutation. NMy medical oncologist was not very concerned, only that Erbitux would not work for me. I've had the oxapliplatin, 5 FU, and leukovorin as adjuvant chemo after my liver resection.


    Leslie

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