Mantle Cell Treatment with Bendamustine @ Rituxan

Susan55

My husband has started treatment with Bendamustine and Rituxan for mantle cell lymphoma. He had an enlarged spleen, bone marrow and colon involment . After 1 treatment the spleen has reduced in size. Unfortunately for his second treatment his WBC's were to low hopefully next Friday. Has anyone else been treated with this?

onlytoday

Bendamustine
Hi,

Last week I started treatment with Bendamustine without Rituxan. I have Nodal Marginal Zone Stage IV with Node and Bone Marrow Involvement. I also get a shot of Neulasta on day three. Last week the Neulasta caused a sustained temp of 102.3 and I ended up in the hospital for three days, while they ruled out infection. Going back to onc tomorrow for a check.

My largest node shrunk already! This stuff is powerful!

How is he feeling? I'm getting my strength back each day and the bone pain from the Neulasta is leaving.

Hugs and best wishes to you and your husband,
Donna

Susan55

onlytoday said:

Bendamustine
Hi,

Last week I started treatment with Bendamustine without Rituxan. I have Nodal Marginal Zone Stage IV with Node and Bone Marrow Involvement. I also get a shot of Neulasta on day three. Last week the Neulasta caused a sustained temp of 102.3 and I ended up in the hospital for three days, while they ruled out infection. Going back to onc tomorrow for a check.

My largest node shrunk already! This stuff is powerful!

How is he feeling? I'm getting my strength back each day and the bone pain from the Neulasta is leaving.

Hugs and best wishes to you and your husband,
Donna

He is feeling fine his
He is feeling fine his spleen is already shrinking this Friday treatment #2 hopefully need the WBC count to come back up. How did your visit with your onc go?

illead

Susan55 said:

He is feeling fine his
He is feeling fine his spleen is already shrinking this Friday treatment #2 hopefully need the WBC count to come back up. How did your visit with your onc go?

Thankful for bendamustine/rituxan
Hi everyone and Susan.
I finally figured this site out.....I think. Know your husband is well along with his treatment and hope all is okay. Just wanted to say that my husband was diagnosed July '11 with MCL. He spleen was enlarged and his bone marrow was packed with cancer cells and he was at stage 4. He was on Bendamustine/Rituxan every 3 weeks for 5 months. He had no side effects and still has his hair (what little there is) and is now is remission. We are debating a SCT there are so many pros and cons but for now he is on Rit maintenance. We are so thankful that he had B/R. It seems to be more and more preferred. With a great and caring cancer center in our town, he had a very easy time of it. He started in a wheelchair to mowing the lawn in about a month after starting chemo. Now he feels better than he has in a few years, as with MCL, they figure he has had it for a few years as you probably know. It seems they are really making some headway in their research of MCL, so we can be optimistic about that. Another positive (and there always is if you look hard enough) is that you realize how much you mean to each other. That is a true blessing. Becky and Bill

robin1908

illead said:

Thankful for bendamustine/rituxan
Hi everyone and Susan.
I finally figured this site out.....I think. Know your husband is well along with his treatment and hope all is okay. Just wanted to say that my husband was diagnosed July '11 with MCL. He spleen was enlarged and his bone marrow was packed with cancer cells and he was at stage 4. He was on Bendamustine/Rituxan every 3 weeks for 5 months. He had no side effects and still has his hair (what little there is) and is now is remission. We are debating a SCT there are so many pros and cons but for now he is on Rit maintenance. We are so thankful that he had B/R. It seems to be more and more preferred. With a great and caring cancer center in our town, he had a very easy time of it. He started in a wheelchair to mowing the lawn in about a month after starting chemo. Now he feels better than he has in a few years, as with MCL, they figure he has had it for a few years as you probably know. It seems they are really making some headway in their research of MCL, so we can be optimistic about that. Another positive (and there always is if you look hard enough) is that you realize how much you mean to each other. That is a true blessing. Becky and Bill

survival
STILL ALIVE 16 YRS LATER!!!! In 1996 my 72 yr old mother was diagnosed with stage IV Mantle cell Lymphoma metastasized to her lungs. She was given up to six months to live! After lung lobe-ectomomy and 6 months of chemotherapy at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Brian Bolwell. She is healthier than myself, her Daughter! Prayer, Hope and a Great Doctor. He told us not to read the grim details. She moved from Ohio to Myrtle Beach, and now to Nashville to be with her 2 Great Grandchildren!!!! Always Know that GOD answers Prayers.
Contact for any info! God Bless

robin1908

STILL ALIVE 16 YRS LATER!!!!
STILL ALIVE 16 YRS LATER!!!! In 1996 my 72 yr old mother was diagnosed with stage IV Mantle cell Lymphoma metastasized to her lungs. She was given up to six months to live! After lung lobe-ectomomy and 6 months of chemotherapy at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Brian Bolwell. She is healthier than myself, her Daughter! Prayer, Hope and a Great Doctor. He told us not to read the grim details. She moved from Ohio to Myrtle Beach, and now to Nashville to be with her 2 Great Grandchildren!!!! Always Know that GOD answers Prayers.
Contact for any info! God Bless

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3

robin1908 said:

STILL ALIVE 16 YRS LATER!!!!
STILL ALIVE 16 YRS LATER!!!! In 1996 my 72 yr old mother was diagnosed with stage IV Mantle cell Lymphoma metastasized to her lungs. She was given up to six months to live! After lung lobe-ectomomy and 6 months of chemotherapy at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Brian Bolwell. She is healthier than myself, her Daughter! Prayer, Hope and a Great Doctor. He told us not to read the grim details. She moved from Ohio to Myrtle Beach, and now to Nashville to be with her 2 Great Grandchildren!!!! Always Know that GOD answers Prayers.
Contact for any info! God Bless

Your Mom's Miracle

Gotta love that story !

max

illead

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

Your Mom's Miracle

Gotta love that story !

max

Robin
Wow, another reason to keep the optimism. We needed that story, thank you so much and please give your mother our best. She must be quite the lady! Becky

Go_go_Gi_gi

illead said:

Robin
Wow, another reason to keep the optimism. We needed that story, thank you so much and please give your mother our best. She must be quite the lady! Becky

Robin--great story
What great news for those of us in the NHL world--- hope and optimistic outlooks--new changes and treatments---and encouragement from those that have gone before---
Give my best to your Mom---i pray she continues to enjoy life and remain in remission!!

Susan

pubkeybreaker

Mantle Cell Treatment with Bendamustine @ Rituxan

I was diagnosed with MCL in January of this year.  It is in stage 1. I am a 58 YO male.

It was caught because I am a diabetic and routine blood work turned up a sharply elevated white count.

I just had my first round of treatments two weeks ago with Bendamustine & Rituximab. It is followed by Neulasta [at $3000 per injection!!!!]

The steroids given with the chemo sent my blood sugar sky high. It was quite an effort to bring it down.  I also came down with a very nasty head cold at the same time as the chemo and have been miserable for two weeks. 

So far I have no spleen or lymph node involvement;  only small bowel and colon and bone marrow. I have had diarrhea however for 3.5 months.

pubkeybreaker

Mantle Cell Treatment with Bendamustine @ Rituxan

I was diagnosed with MCL in January of this year.  It is in stage 1. I am a 58 YO male.

It was caught because I am a diabetic and routine blood work turned up a sharply elevated white count.

I just had my first round of treatments two weeks ago with Bendamustine & Rituximab. It is followed by Neulasta [at $3000 per injection!!!!]

The steroids given with the chemo sent my blood sugar sky high. It was quite an effort to bring it down.  I also came down with a very nasty head cold at the same time as the chemo and have been miserable for two weeks. 

So far I have no spleen or lymph node involvement;  only small bowel and colon and bone marrow. I have had diarrhea however for 3.5 months.

illead

pubkeybreaker said:

Mantle Cell Treatment with Bendamustine @ Rituxan

I was diagnosed with MCL in January of this year.  It is in stage 1. I am a 58 YO male.

It was caught because I am a diabetic and routine blood work turned up a sharply elevated white count.

I just had my first round of treatments two weeks ago with Bendamustine & Rituximab. It is followed by Neulasta [at $3000 per injection!!!!]

The steroids given with the chemo sent my blood sugar sky high. It was quite an effort to bring it down.  I also came down with a very nasty head cold at the same time as the chemo and have been miserable for two weeks. 

So far I have no spleen or lymph node involvement;  only small bowel and colon and bone marrow. I have had diarrhea however for 3.5 months.

Hi

Welcome to the site.  As you can see from earlier posts, this group is very helpful and supportive.  You have probably read our post on this page.  Bill is now a year in remission as of Feb., we are very thankful for that.  We hope you are not paying for the neulasta, the cost of the chemicals is mind boggling!  Bill had neulasta too and had no problems with it.  He does not have diabetes but I did notice in his blood work that his glucose was a little high but no one ever said anything so guess that is just part of the steroid fun.  Of course it is different when you are diabetic.  It is so good you are on B/R.  Other than your cold (sorry), we think you will find that the side effects are little to nothing with no hair loss.  We have done a lot of research on benda and it was developed in Germany during the cold war so has not been used in the US until the last few years.  Our cancer center is affiliated with the Univ of CA Davis, so we are thankful they were up on it.  We hope your treatments go well and wishing you and your family the very best.  Feel free to ask any questions. Bill & Becky