3rd Round of Cisplatin

but, this is what happened during my treatment.  I developed a sinus abcess a few weeks into chemo and rads, had to stop and go to Stanford, ended up in the hospital for a few days--surgery and IV antiobotics.  Returned home.  Continued with rads and chemo when my blood counts were ok.  I missed a few chemo treatments but did finish.  In the end I needed to get hydrated and 2 units of blood.  I faught the blood but it really helped.  I know that others have had a shot to perk up the white count.  Is your husband having cardiac issues?

I had cisplatin once a week and radiation daily for 6 weeks (with a little vaca in the middle due to infection).

I've not the personal details for treatment plans that change but I have seen it numerous time. In the case of patient just too ill to keep going, actually I was scheduled for up to 4 rounds of chemo. The last one nearly "killed" me so I think everyone agreed this sorry sucker got enough chemicals, don't want him too weak for teh follow on chemo-radiation.

Sometimes if you are on Cisplatin they will swich to carboplatin(both patimum) or Erbitux. Many patitens survive fine and are not mpacted in any major shortfall in efficay of treatment therapy due to some "slight" variation; how much I have not a clue.

I do know one of the key reasons for administering cisplatin with radiation is the chemical acts as a radiosynthesizer, meaning the radiation can beat your butt extra hard with the platimum. The chemo here is not for killing cancer.

fishmanpa said:

Chemo/rads

While the chemo (Cisplatin & Carboplatin) is a radio sensitizer to assist the radiation, it also is used there to eradicate any stray cancer cells that may have survived and gotten away from the initial infection or tumor site. The way it was explained to me is the chemo drugs attack the cancer essentially freezing them in an open and vulnerable position during reproduction. Then the rads come along and fry 'em! Any cells the chemo attacks in the body away from the rads get frozen in that vulnerable position and die.

"T"

"T"

I think this a multi-answer. We agree and everything I have read states chemo administered concurrent with radiation serves this radiosenstizer function. Beyond that it does get less clear because different drugs are called into service. Cisplatin and Carboplatin are platinum based which I understand serves the radiosynthesizer role. Other chemo like Erbitux, even taxols are mixed in so without them you do not have the radiosensitizer funcrtion at all or only partially?

I know in my case, having 7 weeks of induction TPF, preceding the concurrent CRT, the goal of the drugs was to halt, shrink, and even eliminate cancers, both the primary and small cells. By the time chemo was done, all visible swelling of the tumors was gone. Going into CRT at tat point with chemo was purely to serve as a radiosynthesizer, so said the MO. The dosage was pretty low as well carbo 150, so it was too low for it to do duty for killing loose cancers.

Just these simple examples show to me it is sort of ill defined or at least I could not make a logical case for this part of the treatment pie.

I had the same treatment as your husband...and my counts were too low for the third. It is true that alot of people don't always have the third one and I was told that it was almost just an "extra shot" As it happened I ended up having it a week later...at my request. I just figured what the hell,,if I lose any more hearing (which I did) at least I'll be here to use my ears. Don't worry if he didn't end up getting the last one...if his counts were low, then it's working!

In the end your body decides what treatment you sometimes have and you just have to go along with that.

Skiffin16 said:

T ~ Kinda..

My understanding is that the chemo acts to interupt how the cells multiply and replicate, their timing. That's part of why the chemo is given in stages or cycles...

It hits the cancer in various states of trying to replicate and reproduce, so eventually it kills the cycle and the bad screwed up cancer cells die and can't reproduce, but the good cells still can and do regenerate.

JG

Exactly... in so many words

JG and Foo...

Same effect, different words... the chemo interupts the cell division... like it's left with it's legs open and the rads come in and kick 'em in the nads!

Because of my heart issues, I was unable to get the induction chemo like many have gotten. Thus the surgery first. The team's logic was 'if we can get 99% out of you then that means less treatment..thus 6 weeks, lesser dose rads... chemo was medium dose 200mg I think..... (didn't matter... still kicked my arse!)

Those left in the spead eagle position eventually die because they can't divide... Hopefully, enough chemo was given in the treatment to catch any and all the rouge cells.... 

That's my biggest concern. My 1st PET was done in Dec 2012. It showed uptake in my neck and a slight uptake right tonsil. I had my those tonsils out in Dec. 2012 and they showed neg for cancer and HPV. Then sel. neck dissection and lingual tonsils removed. No cancer or HPV... the tumors tested pos for HPV. Then treatmet started in March... a full three months from the initial scan. The tumors were extracapsulated. They told me the chemo/rad was to get whatever might be left over in my neck and elsewhere. I won't know until August if it worked for sure.

"T"