Xeloda (maintenace pills)

bobby66

My husband is done with chemo and now he will be put  on Xeloda. These are maintenance pills. Can anyone tell me their experience with Xeloda? Do the also keep killing the tumor?

Trubrit

Xeloda is Chemo

Xeloda is the pill form of 5FU.

I can't help you with advice, as I was on the 5FU, but many folks here have been and are on Xeloda. 

Tru

NHMike

I think that Xeloda prevents

I think that Xeloda prevents cancer from spreading. Not sure that it kills the tumor though others can comment here. In my case, the radiation definitely worked to kill the tumor cells.

Side-effects of Xeloda vary widely from person to person. I tolerated it well though it did a number on a lot of my blood metrics. I worked through chemo and radiation (I understand that most people do this) but  I see lots of people that take short-term disability or otherwise have side-effects that are tough to deal with.

Betsydoglover

Xeloda for maintenance

Xeloda is chemo.  No way is it "just maintenance".  It will work on the cancer.  It is a pill that metabolizes into essentially 5FU in the presence of proteins that cancer cells emit.  As such it may be slightly more "targeted" than is 5FU.

 

darcher

It probably depends on the

It probably depends on the dose.  I was taking 3000mg a day ( 3  500 mg in the mornging and 3 more at nght) as the primary chemo along with radiation.  Technically, it's what is referred to as an antimetabolite which means it interferes with cell division.  In other words, it helps stop the cancer from growing.  Since cancer is a faster growing cell type than normal cells it is more affected than normal cells.  As to it being cancer specific I tend to doubt it.  From my own experience it stops all cells from dividing that it comes in contact with.  With that you get all sorts of side affects from foggy vision, short term memory interference,  to neuropathy.   I don't know that it actually kills the tumor since that would necessitate a mechanism specific for that which I don't think it has. That's what radiation is supposed to do.

aoccc2015

Was offered the 5fu pump or

Was offered the 5fu pump or Xeloda but figured since i dont even have side effects with the pump and my colon is not hooked up so who knows how much of the pill will actually be absorbed, I went with the pump. Shove that thing in my jeans pocket and off i go

NHMike

My personal opinion is that

My personal opinion is that the pill form is far more convenient from my comparison of taking the pills and the accounts of others using the pump. I've read that side-effects can be milder with the pump.

Annabelle41415

Xeloda

Mine was given as a pre-surgery while taking radiation at the same time.  It was helped to shrink the tumor so they could do surgery.  It did help in the reduction of the tumor.  I'm not sure how it is used as maintenance, but my use of it had little side effects and was able to function relatively well.  Just be careful of the hands and feet as that seems to affect it first.  Wishing him the best.

Kim

Kristine1217

I was on Xeloda for a while.

I was on Xeloda for a while. I went off for 3 months because of side effects. Swelling in my hands and  legs feet too. It got so bad I couldn't go anywhere. So I stopped taking them. I got cancer 3 months later.