Third treatment option

snowbird_11
snowbird_11 Member Posts: 160
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
I met with my primary gyn-onc today re being more aggressive with chemo for my UPSC disease progression. He will not equate 'aggressive' with 'effective'. He is not on board with doing a carbo/taxol treatment (as recommended by second opinion gyn-onc)as he believes negative toxicities far out weigh potential benefits. He would do single agent carbo if I am not comfortable with doing my current, conservative, tamoxifen therapy. I do love the no side effects part of this!

However, he is PI for a clinical trial opening in a few days that is specifically for recurrent endometrial cancer. Since other treatments are really just adopted from ovarian cancer treatments, one that is for my cancer may be worth giving it a shot. I can always leave the trial and go with carbo or back to tamoxifen if I have concerns. Also, there will be careful monitoring with scans every 8 weeks. I will be randomly assigned to either oral daily tabs or weekly IV infusions. There is no standard care arm, all participants will receive investigative drug.

Annie

Comments

  • daisy366
    daisy366 Member Posts: 1,458 Member
    #2
    Annie
    I'm not sure I understand. Would this option continue the tamoxifen and then add the investigative drug during the trial?

    Have you decided which option to choose? Is this a hard decision for you?

    When you decide, I would like to know your thought process.

    Hugs and blessings, Mary Ann
  • Rewriter
    Rewriter Member Posts: 493 Member
    #3
    A day later...what are your thoughts?
    Somehow, the fact that your primary gyn-onc refuses to equate "aggressive" and "effective" makes sense to me. The clinical trial sounds promising; and the fact that you can always leave it and start on the other treatment options seems like a win-win proposition. How are you feeling about your options at this point? What is your gut telling you?

    As always, I am thinking about you with much fondness and concern.

    Jill
  • artist49
    artist49 Member Posts: 87
    #4
    clinical trial for endometrial cancer
    Could you please tell us the number of this new trial? Thanks
  • snowbird_11
    snowbird_11 Member Posts: 160
    #5
    Well i was rejected by
    Well i was rejected by Pfizer for the trial because of 2 doses of Doxil i had for first recurrence before my Dr switched me to Gemzar. The change was made due to side effects i had to Doxil and I tolerated the Gemzar quite well. Pfizer insisted on calling it a third chemo regimen. The first was carbo/taxol after surgery.

    I have an appt to revisit/review options with my gyn-onc next week. The more i consider prior outcomes to chemo I am less inclined to jump back in. My breast cancer recurred following chemo - so it obviously didn't kill all the leftover cancer cells post-surgery. Since my UPSC debulking surgery removed all visible cancer, chemo was to get any leftover cells, but it came back. After chemo for recurrences, which reduced ca125 to normal and nothing showed on scans, it wasn't long before it was back. Both gyn-oncs i have consulted with consider endometrial recurrences to be very difficult to manage and note that the only real chemo treatment options are from ovarian cancer protocols. My gyn-onc's plan with tamoxifen may well be my best plan. The worst issue is the resistance to chemo these remaining cancer cells develop. All those wonderful anticancer regimens may be an even more significant part of our therapy.

    Thank you all for your kind thoughts and support!! it's most appreciated.
    Annie
  • snowbird_11
    snowbird_11 Member Posts: 160
    #6
    artist49 said:

    clinical trial for endometrial cancer
    Could you please tell us the number of this new trial? Thanks

    Here is link on Clinical
    NCT01420081

    Here is link on Clinical Trials website:

    http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01420081?term=b1271004&rank=1
  • JoAnnDK
    JoAnnDK Member Posts: 275
    #7
    snowbird_11 said:

    Well i was rejected by
    Well i was rejected by Pfizer for the trial because of 2 doses of Doxil i had for first recurrence before my Dr switched me to Gemzar. The change was made due to side effects i had to Doxil and I tolerated the Gemzar quite well. Pfizer insisted on calling it a third chemo regimen. The first was carbo/taxol after surgery.

    I have an appt to revisit/review options with my gyn-onc next week. The more i consider prior outcomes to chemo I am less inclined to jump back in. My breast cancer recurred following chemo - so it obviously didn't kill all the leftover cancer cells post-surgery. Since my UPSC debulking surgery removed all visible cancer, chemo was to get any leftover cells, but it came back. After chemo for recurrences, which reduced ca125 to normal and nothing showed on scans, it wasn't long before it was back. Both gyn-oncs i have consulted with consider endometrial recurrences to be very difficult to manage and note that the only real chemo treatment options are from ovarian cancer protocols. My gyn-onc's plan with tamoxifen may well be my best plan. The worst issue is the resistance to chemo these remaining cancer cells develop. All those wonderful anticancer regimens may be an even more significant part of our therapy.

    Thank you all for your kind thoughts and support!! it's most appreciated.
    Annie

    Arimidex
    Annie, has your doctor mentioned Arimidex to you, as an alternative to Tamoxofen? It is an aromatase inhibitor and apparently blocks hormones that Tamoxofen does not (that is putting it VERY simplistically).

    Sending good thoughts

    JoAnn
  • pakb56
    pakb56 Member Posts: 141
    #8
    snowbird_11 said:

    Well i was rejected by
    Well i was rejected by Pfizer for the trial because of 2 doses of Doxil i had for first recurrence before my Dr switched me to Gemzar. The change was made due to side effects i had to Doxil and I tolerated the Gemzar quite well. Pfizer insisted on calling it a third chemo regimen. The first was carbo/taxol after surgery.

    I have an appt to revisit/review options with my gyn-onc next week. The more i consider prior outcomes to chemo I am less inclined to jump back in. My breast cancer recurred following chemo - so it obviously didn't kill all the leftover cancer cells post-surgery. Since my UPSC debulking surgery removed all visible cancer, chemo was to get any leftover cells, but it came back. After chemo for recurrences, which reduced ca125 to normal and nothing showed on scans, it wasn't long before it was back. Both gyn-oncs i have consulted with consider endometrial recurrences to be very difficult to manage and note that the only real chemo treatment options are from ovarian cancer protocols. My gyn-onc's plan with tamoxifen may well be my best plan. The worst issue is the resistance to chemo these remaining cancer cells develop. All those wonderful anticancer regimens may be an even more significant part of our therapy.

    Thank you all for your kind thoughts and support!! it's most appreciated.
    Annie

    Clinical Trial
    Sorry to hear you were rejected. I imagine the clinical trials target a very specific group of people.

    Hoping your follow up visit goes well.

    Take Care,
    Pat
  • pakb56
    pakb56 Member Posts: 141
    #9
    snowbird_11 said:

    Well i was rejected by
    Well i was rejected by Pfizer for the trial because of 2 doses of Doxil i had for first recurrence before my Dr switched me to Gemzar. The change was made due to side effects i had to Doxil and I tolerated the Gemzar quite well. Pfizer insisted on calling it a third chemo regimen. The first was carbo/taxol after surgery.

    I have an appt to revisit/review options with my gyn-onc next week. The more i consider prior outcomes to chemo I am less inclined to jump back in. My breast cancer recurred following chemo - so it obviously didn't kill all the leftover cancer cells post-surgery. Since my UPSC debulking surgery removed all visible cancer, chemo was to get any leftover cells, but it came back. After chemo for recurrences, which reduced ca125 to normal and nothing showed on scans, it wasn't long before it was back. Both gyn-oncs i have consulted with consider endometrial recurrences to be very difficult to manage and note that the only real chemo treatment options are from ovarian cancer protocols. My gyn-onc's plan with tamoxifen may well be my best plan. The worst issue is the resistance to chemo these remaining cancer cells develop. All those wonderful anticancer regimens may be an even more significant part of our therapy.

    Thank you all for your kind thoughts and support!! it's most appreciated.
    Annie

    Oops-double post
    Hate when I do that!
  • Ro10
    Ro10 Member Posts: 1,561 Member
    #10
    snowbird_11 said:

    Well i was rejected by
    Well i was rejected by Pfizer for the trial because of 2 doses of Doxil i had for first recurrence before my Dr switched me to Gemzar. The change was made due to side effects i had to Doxil and I tolerated the Gemzar quite well. Pfizer insisted on calling it a third chemo regimen. The first was carbo/taxol after surgery.

    I have an appt to revisit/review options with my gyn-onc next week. The more i consider prior outcomes to chemo I am less inclined to jump back in. My breast cancer recurred following chemo - so it obviously didn't kill all the leftover cancer cells post-surgery. Since my UPSC debulking surgery removed all visible cancer, chemo was to get any leftover cells, but it came back. After chemo for recurrences, which reduced ca125 to normal and nothing showed on scans, it wasn't long before it was back. Both gyn-oncs i have consulted with consider endometrial recurrences to be very difficult to manage and note that the only real chemo treatment options are from ovarian cancer protocols. My gyn-onc's plan with tamoxifen may well be my best plan. The worst issue is the resistance to chemo these remaining cancer cells develop. All those wonderful anticancer regimens may be an even more significant part of our therapy.

    Thank you all for your kind thoughts and support!! it's most appreciated.
    Annie

    Annie sorry to hear you were rejected for the clinical trial
    I know it must be disappointing for you. You remain in my thoughts and prayers. In peace in caring. Hope you can contnue to enjoy each day.
  • HellieC
    HellieC Member Posts: 524 Member
    #11
    snowbird_11 said:

    Well i was rejected by
    Well i was rejected by Pfizer for the trial because of 2 doses of Doxil i had for first recurrence before my Dr switched me to Gemzar. The change was made due to side effects i had to Doxil and I tolerated the Gemzar quite well. Pfizer insisted on calling it a third chemo regimen. The first was carbo/taxol after surgery.

    I have an appt to revisit/review options with my gyn-onc next week. The more i consider prior outcomes to chemo I am less inclined to jump back in. My breast cancer recurred following chemo - so it obviously didn't kill all the leftover cancer cells post-surgery. Since my UPSC debulking surgery removed all visible cancer, chemo was to get any leftover cells, but it came back. After chemo for recurrences, which reduced ca125 to normal and nothing showed on scans, it wasn't long before it was back. Both gyn-oncs i have consulted with consider endometrial recurrences to be very difficult to manage and note that the only real chemo treatment options are from ovarian cancer protocols. My gyn-onc's plan with tamoxifen may well be my best plan. The worst issue is the resistance to chemo these remaining cancer cells develop. All those wonderful anticancer regimens may be an even more significant part of our therapy.

    Thank you all for your kind thoughts and support!! it's most appreciated.
    Annie

    Hope you decide a plan soon
    It must be so difficult to try to decide the next path to take. I can understand your initial reaction to want to hit this hard and fast but then to think about previous experiences with chemo and wonder whether that is the best long term route. I am so sorry the trial wasn't for you (the inclusion criteria on these trials is always very strict). My oncologist rates hormone treatment highly for re-recurrences and suggested that it might be the route for me should I get another one, although mine is the more "common" EC and we know that it is ER/PR positive.
    Hope you find a way forward soon.
    Helen
  • CindyGSD
    CindyGSD Member Posts: 190
    #12
    So sorry..
    ...that the clinical trial wasn't an option, but I have high hopes for you with the Tomoxifen treatment and you can always switch to a more aggressive option if it doesn't work, but if it does, you saved yourself the hell of full on chemo assault.

    Take care,
    Cindy

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