folfiriox

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medsec
medsec Member Posts: 25
in Colorectal Cancer #1
just been told I need 6 months of this drug. had stage 4 colo/rectal ca in 2010. now mets to liver and lungs, had ablation on liver and resection to lung. PET scan clear but onc wants me to take 6 months of folfiriox has anyone tried it and were the side effects worth it. the doctors talks like side effects are tough. i had chemo radiation and surgery, the thoughts of more chemo is just about unbareable.

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  • peterz54
    peterz54 Member Posts: 341
    #2
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    folfox w/avastin
    my wife is nearing the end of 6 months of folfox with avastin...she started out fairly sick though and has had no prior treatment. She is fairly beaten down now, but I take it is not representative of the average patient..Suggest you also do a google search for side effects and so on..

    I will say that after doing a lot of research, the folfox regime my wife is on appears to provide for about the longest survival among the various chemo regimes provided CC patients...

    research also suggests that patients who can do modest excerice, keep weight in normal range, and eat very well (plant based mostly) during chemo fair much better (live longer) than those who don't

    good luck...
  • westie66
    westie66 Member Posts: 642
    #3
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    peterz54 said:

    folfox w/avastin
    my wife is nearing the end of 6 months of folfox with avastin...she started out fairly sick though and has had no prior treatment. She is fairly beaten down now, but I take it is not representative of the average patient..Suggest you also do a google search for side effects and so on..

    I will say that after doing a lot of research, the folfox regime my wife is on appears to provide for about the longest survival among the various chemo regimes provided CC patients...

    research also suggests that patients who can do modest excerice, keep weight in normal range, and eat very well (plant based mostly) during chemo fair much better (live longer) than those who don't

    good luck...

    Folfirinox
    Hi: Folfirinox is a little different from Folfox in that it combines oxaliplatin + irenotecan + 5FU or Avastin. I have had 12 treatments of folfirinox (every 2 wks, 5FU pump for 42 hrs), then 6 month break while awaiting whether surgery was a go or not for peritoneum stripping (it wasn't), so am back on folfirinox. I also did 12 treatments of cisplatin + gemcitibine which was a breeze. The oxaliplatin causes neuropathy (I don't have it too much), cold intolerance (I don't have that at all), mouth sores, fatigue, drippy nose (in me), hairline sweats. I combination of irenotecan and 5FU causes very bad diarrhea (the nurses call irenotecan "I run to the can"!). Irenotecan can cause hair loss (patchy). So you get the best of both the folfox world and the folfirinox world! It is tough but survivable. For me the worst is the diarrhea after the 5FU pump comes off and the fatigue. I can be literally housebound with the diarrhea for one week. I take lomotil, have had dosage reductions, but nothing so far has helped. Like folfox, the side effects get worse (for me anyways) the longer you are on it. And the oxi side effects can last for years.
    The important thing is to tell your oncologist what you are experiencing. I didn't have any side effects until about treatment 8 last time, but this go-around, they started with the first treatment.
    Cheryl

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