Confused and upset over doctor's visit

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clamryn
clamryn Member Posts: 508
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
I just don't know what to think. I got my results from PETCT Scan today. Frist, my CA125 when up from 30 to 34. Then the last spot I had, which is in my liver, has not shrunk anymore. My doctor wanted me to do the two more infusions of doxil and thought it might kill it like it did the other spots I had. But it stayed the same. Good news is that I don't have any other cancer cells anywhere else. I asked him what he thought and he said would have liked for the scan to have come back clean with no evidence of cancer cells but all in all he felt pretty good about it. He wants me to take a pill for a couple months.<--break--> It is called Metformin.<--break-->Has anyone heard of this or has anyone taken it? He said that diabetic patients use this and it has had some good results for cancer patients. What do you all think?

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  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980
    #2
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    I looked this up and it sure seems to be promising & exciting!
    I'd never heard of this, but I looked it up and I honestly feel excited by the possibilities of this drug! Your oncologist must be really cutting edge. metformin is one of the safest and most widely used Type 1 Diabetes drugs so I wouldn't be afraid of side effects or anything. It sounds like it doesn't kill cancer, but instead stops it from spreading. That's still good! Here's what I found:

    A large case-control study conducted at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has suggested that metformin may protect against pancreatic cancer. The risk of pancreatic cancer in study participants who took metformin was found to be 62% lower than in participants who had never taken it, whereas participants who had used insulin or secretagogues (such as the sulfonylureas) were found to have a 5-fold and 2.5-fold higher risk of pancreatic cancer, respectively, compared to participants that had been treated with neither.[55] The study had several limitations, however, and the reason for this risk reduction is still unclear.[55] Observational studies conducted by the University of Dundee have shown a decrease of 25–37% in cancer cases in diabetics taking metformin.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Diabetes drug can reduce risk of cancer, researchers find

    September 01, 2010|By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times
    Metformin reduced the development of lung tumors in mice by more than 70%. Clinical trials on humans for lung, breast and prostate cancer are being organized.

    A growing body of evidence suggests that the widely used diabetes drug metformin can reduce the risk of cancer, researchers said Wednesday.

    A study in mice exposed to tobacco carcinogens shows that the drug can reduce the development of lung tumors by more than 70%, and results from a small clinical trial in Japan suggest it can reduce rates of colorectal tumors in humans. The National Cancer Institute is now organizing a clinical trial to test the drug in people who smoke, and other trials are testing it against breast and prostate cancer.
  • clamryn
    clamryn Member Posts: 508
    #3
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    lindaprocopio said:

    I looked this up and it sure seems to be promising & exciting!
    I'd never heard of this, but I looked it up and I honestly feel excited by the possibilities of this drug! Your oncologist must be really cutting edge. metformin is one of the safest and most widely used Type 1 Diabetes drugs so I wouldn't be afraid of side effects or anything. It sounds like it doesn't kill cancer, but instead stops it from spreading. That's still good! Here's what I found:

    A large case-control study conducted at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has suggested that metformin may protect against pancreatic cancer. The risk of pancreatic cancer in study participants who took metformin was found to be 62% lower than in participants who had never taken it, whereas participants who had used insulin or secretagogues (such as the sulfonylureas) were found to have a 5-fold and 2.5-fold higher risk of pancreatic cancer, respectively, compared to participants that had been treated with neither.[55] The study had several limitations, however, and the reason for this risk reduction is still unclear.[55] Observational studies conducted by the University of Dundee have shown a decrease of 25–37% in cancer cases in diabetics taking metformin.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Diabetes drug can reduce risk of cancer, researchers find

    September 01, 2010|By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times
    Metformin reduced the development of lung tumors in mice by more than 70%. Clinical trials on humans for lung, breast and prostate cancer are being organized.

    A growing body of evidence suggests that the widely used diabetes drug metformin can reduce the risk of cancer, researchers said Wednesday.

    A study in mice exposed to tobacco carcinogens shows that the drug can reduce the development of lung tumors by more than 70%, and results from a small clinical trial in Japan suggest it can reduce rates of colorectal tumors in humans. The National Cancer Institute is now organizing a clinical trial to test the drug in people who smoke, and other trials are testing it against breast and prostate cancer.

    Thank you
    Oh Linda, you have made me feel so much better. I don't know if it will work for me but at least you have given me a positive outlook on it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    Linda
  • Lisa13Q
    Lisa13Q Member Posts: 677
    #4
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    Dear Clamryn
    It sounds like you and my mother had the same scan...her doctor is keeping her on the doxil for 2 more months....I looked up the new drug and it sounds like it has promise....I don't think it can hurt to try ... you can always go back to the doxil which was seemingly holding the disease at bay but not killing it...try to kill the beast with the new drug!!
  • saundra
    saundra Member Posts: 1,370 Member
    #5
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    Go for it....
    I would go for it. Praying it works for you. Saundra
  • Barbara53
    Barbara53 Member Posts: 652
    #6
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    clamryn said:

    Thank you
    Oh Linda, you have made me feel so much better. I don't know if it will work for me but at least you have given me a positive outlook on it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    Linda

    my daughter takes it
    My 24-year old daughter takes Metformin for PCOS (polycystic ovarain syndrome), because it's supposed to protect the pancreas from prediabetic damage. No side effects, though you have to watch for sinking spells should your blood sugar go too low, and fix it quick with a little sugar. This is exciting news. Good luck with it.
  • Mwee
    Mwee Member Posts: 1,338
    #7
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    how exciting
    We'll all be waiting to hear how this new treatment goes. ENJOY your break!
    (((HUGS))) Maria
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #8
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    Mwee said:

    how exciting
    We'll all be waiting to hear how this new treatment goes. ENJOY your break!
    (((HUGS))) Maria

    Metformin
    My husband has Type II Diabetes and he takes Metformin (AKA Glucophage). He has taken it for about 15 years and never had any serious side effects. He does have to watch that his blood surger doesn't tank. Overall, I think it's probably safer than most of the stuff they give us for Cancer. What dosage did your doctor recommend?
  • clamryn
    clamryn Member Posts: 508
    #9
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    Hissy_Fitz said:

    Metformin
    My husband has Type II Diabetes and he takes Metformin (AKA Glucophage). He has taken it for about 15 years and never had any serious side effects. He does have to watch that his blood surger doesn't tank. Overall, I think it's probably safer than most of the stuff they give us for Cancer. What dosage did your doctor recommend?

    Dosage
    The dosage he recommended is one pill a day. It is 500mg.
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #10
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    clamryn said:

    Dosage
    The dosage he recommended is one pill a day. It is 500mg.

    My husband takes 4 tabs
    My husband takes 4 tabs (500mg) per day for Type II Diabetes and has never had any side effects, other than his blood sugar has crashed a couple of times, so he has to keep an eye on that. And Metformin is generic, so it's cheap. Wow! A drug to treat OC that is without side effects AND doesn't cost an arm and a leg! Plus it's a pill, instead of an IV. If it keeps the beast away from the door, I'd say it's dang near perfect.

    Carlene

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