anyone on Adriamycin, Cisplatin, and Taxol

cathyK
cathyK Member Posts: 93
edited March 2014 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
is anyone on these three drugs ? I have noticed that most are on Taxol and Carboplatin. I have grade 4b stage 3 endometrial cancer.
I just finished my 5th chemo 1 more to go, then one month and get a ct scan, and then wait 3 months for next visit. anyone else have other tests done after chemo. I am discouraged by this doctor every time I go in, he is the most pesimistic person I have ever met,
any how any help with "what comes next " would be greatfully helpfull

Comments

  • seably
    seably Member Posts: 29
    #2
    Same tests for me
    Hi Cathy,

    First, please be aware that I am in treatment for Ovarian cancer Stage 3C but I also had Stage 1 uterine cancer at the same time. My doctor says I'm the 6th person he has treated this year to have both cancers at the sme time.

    I had a hysterectomy & debulking surgery in April 09 & in September completed 6 rounds of IV taxol & IP cisplatin (this is where they put the cisplatin directtly into your abdomin). Then 1 month later I had 3 CTs - chest/abdomin/pelvic - and bloodwork. I just saw my doctor yesterday and all is good, no evidence of cancer, so I don't see him again for 3 months. So while we don't have the same disease, it seems that our treatments are similar, although I did not have Adriamycin.

    Sorry to hear that you do not like your doctor. If you're anywhere close to Savannah, GA, check out my doctor, James Burke II, he is the best.

    Good luck with your final chemo treatment and I pray you beat this.

    God Bless
    Stacey
  • kumar
    kumar Member Posts: 107
    #3
    seably said:

    Same tests for me
    Hi Cathy,

    First, please be aware that I am in treatment for Ovarian cancer Stage 3C but I also had Stage 1 uterine cancer at the same time. My doctor says I'm the 6th person he has treated this year to have both cancers at the sme time.

    I had a hysterectomy & debulking surgery in April 09 & in September completed 6 rounds of IV taxol & IP cisplatin (this is where they put the cisplatin directtly into your abdomin). Then 1 month later I had 3 CTs - chest/abdomin/pelvic - and bloodwork. I just saw my doctor yesterday and all is good, no evidence of cancer, so I don't see him again for 3 months. So while we don't have the same disease, it seems that our treatments are similar, although I did not have Adriamycin.

    Sorry to hear that you do not like your doctor. If you're anywhere close to Savannah, GA, check out my doctor, James Burke II, he is the best.

    Good luck with your final chemo treatment and I pray you beat this.

    God Bless
    Stacey

    Hi
    Can i ask about your CA125? What was that and when you finished your chemotherapy. and your grade of cancer
  • seably
    seably Member Posts: 29
    #4
    kumar said:

    Hi
    Can i ask about your CA125? What was that and when you finished your chemotherapy. and your grade of cancer

    CA125
    Hi Kumar,

    I don't mean to sound stupid, but I just don't know what grade my cancer is. I know it's on some papers somewhere, I just can't find it.

    As for the CA125, it was 2706 prior to surgery, 16 after surgery but prior to chemo & was 6.8 yesterday after 6 rounds of chemo.

    Hope this helps
    Stacey
  • cathyK
    cathyK Member Posts: 93
    #5
    kumar said:

    Hi
    Can i ask about your CA125? What was that and when you finished your chemotherapy. and your grade of cancer

    hi
    I have one more chemo treatment and my doctor will not order the ca 125, it was mistakenly not crossed out at the beginning, I do not know if they did one pre operation but first blood test was 37 and second blood test was 34 that is the last time they did the ca 125 I have been told it is not accurate for endometrial cancer. I do not believe this as if it recurrs it will come up somewhere else and will be good to do the ca 125 , so I think, I am changing doctors after my chemo and first ct scan.
    THANK GOD!
    cathy
  • wuzzle
    wuzzle Member Posts: 8
    #6
    My experience
    Hi, CathyK!

    I have recurrent stage 2 endometrial cancer. After the hysterectomy I was clear of cancer for about 6 months and then my CA125 number started to rise. I was being checked every 3 months. My doctor ordered a ct scan and we found cancer in 3 lymph nodes in my abdomen. He gave me 6 sessions of chemo - Taxol and Carboplatin. A CA125 test was run every 3 weeks during the chemo. The Taxol and Carboplatin did the job - for a while. In 6 months my ca125 number started to rise again and another ct scan showed more cancer in lymph nodes further up my body. I then had 25 sessions of radiation and 4 chemo sessions with Doxol. The Ca125 number kept rising so we stopped the Doxol and I just got home from another ct scan.

    Your doctor may mean the specific type of cancer cell you have doesn't produce the cancer antigen 125 so the test would not give you an acurate prediction of cancer growth. I have estrogen positive cancer and this test does give us a good heads-up that the cancer is growing.

    Taxol and Carboplatin worked for me. I hope your cocktail is working for you. If you don't feel confident in your doctor, move on to another doctor or facility. The last thing you should worry about is the treatment plan you are on. You need to be able to ask for complete information or clarification from your treatment team. You must be part of that team. I'll be thinking of you. Speak up - It's your life.
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980 Member
    #7
    cathyK said:

    hi
    I have one more chemo treatment and my doctor will not order the ca 125, it was mistakenly not crossed out at the beginning, I do not know if they did one pre operation but first blood test was 37 and second blood test was 34 that is the last time they did the ca 125 I have been told it is not accurate for endometrial cancer. I do not believe this as if it recurrs it will come up somewhere else and will be good to do the ca 125 , so I think, I am changing doctors after my chemo and first ct scan.
    THANK GOD!
    cathy

    Doesn't sound like CA125 is a good diagnostic tool for you.
    CA-125 isn't a reliable diagnostic tool for everyone. Even though you were just beginning treatment for a fairly advanced cancer, your initial CA-125 was only slightly above normal. That is probably why your oncologist doesn't feel it is a reliable marker for you; if it was it would have been way higher than 37 I would think. I have Stage 3c uterine papillary serous cancer (a Grade 3 cancer), and my initial baseline 'before 1st chemo' CA125 was 90. After my first chemo round, it dropped to half that, and dropped by half again after the 2nd chemo round. So, because my CA-125 is clearly affected by my treatments, they deem it a reliable diagnostic treatment marker for me. But even considering that, my oncologist told me that when they look for recurrance, they will weigh most heavily any physical symptoms I may have or anything they feel in the pelvic exams; and CT-scans will be given a lot of weight; with CA-125 given the least weight in their diagnosis. They will never initiate recurrance chemo for me based only on my CA125 going up.

    I LOVE my chemo oncologist; he has said from Day One that we were going for a CURE for me, and has been endlessly optimistic and encouraging. You need an oncologist that you trust and like. I'm glad that you are finding a new one.
  • cathyK
    cathyK Member Posts: 93
    #8
    wuzzle said:

    My experience
    Hi, CathyK!

    I have recurrent stage 2 endometrial cancer. After the hysterectomy I was clear of cancer for about 6 months and then my CA125 number started to rise. I was being checked every 3 months. My doctor ordered a ct scan and we found cancer in 3 lymph nodes in my abdomen. He gave me 6 sessions of chemo - Taxol and Carboplatin. A CA125 test was run every 3 weeks during the chemo. The Taxol and Carboplatin did the job - for a while. In 6 months my ca125 number started to rise again and another ct scan showed more cancer in lymph nodes further up my body. I then had 25 sessions of radiation and 4 chemo sessions with Doxol. The Ca125 number kept rising so we stopped the Doxol and I just got home from another ct scan.

    Your doctor may mean the specific type of cancer cell you have doesn't produce the cancer antigen 125 so the test would not give you an acurate prediction of cancer growth. I have estrogen positive cancer and this test does give us a good heads-up that the cancer is growing.

    Taxol and Carboplatin worked for me. I hope your cocktail is working for you. If you don't feel confident in your doctor, move on to another doctor or facility. The last thing you should worry about is the treatment plan you are on. You need to be able to ask for complete information or clarification from your treatment team. You must be part of that team. I'll be thinking of you. Speak up - It's your life.

    my experience
    thanks for all the posts,
    I have spoke up from day one and from day one I have been told these are the rules of the office, and I have to obey them
    I was overwhelmed from moment one, and he was highly recomended as a fantastic surgeon great at diagnosing and treatment but I was not told of his "I do things my way, and forget about your feelings or concerns" he has got worse and worse to the point of no return, I have one more treatment and that is it.
    there is a full team at ann arbor, and have been told by a few people at the chemo center I go to , they are a team of care filled people wanting to do anything to help you and get you cured. my doc has only been pesimistic and never given me positive, last visit he gave me 1 positive, and then when I asked him one more question he giggled and said well I dont want to answer that that is not positive, so he was belittiling me in front of his head nurse her mouth dropped open so she now knows what I have been telling her is true,.
    any how , just found out that he did not do a ca 125 before the operation, and does not believe that ca125 is accurate for endometrial cancer, even though he did not know it was endometrial when he went in , it started as uterine cancer. so I still believe he is great in his diagnosis and treatment but he needs a pop up side his head with the way he talks to his patients.
    I have put in a complaint to the hospital and they will not devulge my name till after I get another doctor, he has had a few others complaining about his bed side manner but they would not give their names as they were still patients, he is the only gyn oncologist for many many miles and some can not travel that far for a specialist. sad
    any how thanks for the info.

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