Lots of Questions about Chemo

traceyd1
traceyd1 Member Posts: 79 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Just heard from MD Anderson yesterday.  They want to start chemo next week.  My husband will have 4 courses of treatment lasting 3 days each with 21 days in between the courses.  He will be hospitalized for 3-5 days during his first course because of side effects and for monitoring.  Not sure if they will hospitalize for the other courses.  His medications will be cisplatin and adriamycin.  Have heard of cisplatin, but not adiramycin.  Has anyone ever used this?  His cancer is a sarcoma, so I don't know if this is different from most on the board here.  Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • Super-b
    Super-b Member Posts: 26
    #2
    good luck

    Hello there and welcome to the forum no one wants to join.

    Adriamycin is a trade name for Doxorubicin. Rubex is another trade name for Doxorubicin. In some cases, health care professionals may use the trade names Adriamycin or Rubex when referring to the generic drug name Doxorubicin.

    My first 2 treatments were cisplatin and third was carboplatin with a doxorubicin infusion

    With the fact that they are giving him cisplatin I would ask your Dr. to have them give your husband a baseline hearing test. Fot alot of people the cisplatin can do a real number on the hearing.

    rule #1 DIRNK alot of fluids....helps detoxify the body and keeps the kidneys working....when he feels like he is drowning drink some more.

    He will quickly loose his sence of taste which translates into everything will taste like crap BUT eat solid food for as long as he can...I was able to keep eating a little bit of solid food all the way through.

     

    Bill

     

  • traceyd1
    traceyd1 Member Posts: 79 Member
    #3
    Super-b said:

    good luck

    Hello there and welcome to the forum no one wants to join.

    Adriamycin is a trade name for Doxorubicin. Rubex is another trade name for Doxorubicin. In some cases, health care professionals may use the trade names Adriamycin or Rubex when referring to the generic drug name Doxorubicin.

    My first 2 treatments were cisplatin and third was carboplatin with a doxorubicin infusion

    With the fact that they are giving him cisplatin I would ask your Dr. to have them give your husband a baseline hearing test. Fot alot of people the cisplatin can do a real number on the hearing.

    rule #1 DIRNK alot of fluids....helps detoxify the body and keeps the kidneys working....when he feels like he is drowning drink some more.

    He will quickly loose his sence of taste which translates into everything will taste like crap BUT eat solid food for as long as he can...I was able to keep eating a little bit of solid food all the way through.

     

    Bill

     

    Is the loss of taste

    Is the loss of taste permanent?  He already is not 100% from the previous radiation

  • Super-b
    Super-b Member Posts: 26
    #4
    traceyd1 said:

    Is the loss of taste

    Is the loss of taste permanent?  He already is not 100% from the previous radiation

    Loss

    tey tell me no. I am 8 months out from treatment and it is coming back but still not right. Though things do taste a lot better.

    Bill

  • avisemi
    avisemi Member Posts: 172
    #5
    I hope all goes well!  My

    I hope all goes well!  My husband had the same cocktail JOhn did but with cisplatin during induction and carboplatin weekly during rads. He was completely okay after cisplatin. Though carboplatin caused neuropathy.  He still can't feel his toes or fingers.  

    I think it is great he is doing the first cycle in patient! he will be well taken care there Just in case.  

    blessings to both of you next week and the following ones

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #6
    avisemi said:

    I hope all goes well!  My

    I hope all goes well!  My husband had the same cocktail JOhn did but with cisplatin during induction and carboplatin weekly during rads. He was completely okay after cisplatin. Though carboplatin caused neuropathy.  He still can't feel his toes or fingers.  

    I think it is great he is doing the first cycle in patient! he will be well taken care there Just in case.  

    blessings to both of you next week and the following ones

    Taste

    I was told I might have a metallic taste with Cisplatin but to me everything tasted salty. It wasn't that bad because atleast salt was a familiar taste to me. I never really lost my sense of taste like so many others did. 

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #7
    TPF

    Induction chemotherapy with TPF (Docetaxel (Taxotere), Cisplatin and Fluorouracil (5FU)) in the treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

    Was my cocktail, nine weeks of three week cycles (21 days each cycle), the 5FU was administered through a port implanted in my chest, and a pump I wore during.

    No hospital stay though..

     

    Then an additional seven weeks of concurrent Carboplatin (weekly), and 35 daily rads sessions..

     

    As for Cisplatin, no base line testing, but it can cause some to have hearing loss, or tinnitus, also neuropathy.. They tell you to watch for the signs.., some have had to switch over to Carboplatin, which is a lesser form.

    I did lose all taste and saliva for a few months, then started slowly coming back. At six months I had a large amount of both back.

    It took all of two years to get all taste back, and maybe 95% saliva..

    Still much better than the alternative..

     

    Dx in January 2009 - STGIII Tonsils, lymhnode, HPV+. Now at six years later.. They tell me I'm in complete remission...

     

    ~John

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #8
    avisemi said:

    I hope all goes well!  My

    I hope all goes well!  My husband had the same cocktail JOhn did but with cisplatin during induction and carboplatin weekly during rads. He was completely okay after cisplatin. Though carboplatin caused neuropathy.  He still can't feel his toes or fingers.  

    I think it is great he is doing the first cycle in patient! he will be well taken care there Just in case.  

    blessings to both of you next week and the following ones

    TPF

    Yep.., mis-typed.. It was Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU in cycles, then the Carboplatin for seven concurrent weeks... Myself and a few others had the same protocul.. Even a few of us had the Amifostine everyday before rads. Though mine was injected into my stomach each day..

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