Targeted Drugs

abita
abita Member Posts: 1,152 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Does anyone have experience with targeted drugs? I am currently between treatments while we find something to work at killing the two new lung lesions since they grew on folfox.

Since I have been off chemo for 3 weeks, the lesions are still small (biggest is 1.1 cm) and I am realtively healthy, my oncologist wants me to go to MSK to see a specialist. He feels they will have access to newer drugs, especially

targeted drugs, so that we can find something to work for me. It isn't that there are no options for me. He said he could try various drugs until there is one that kills these new mets, 

but that the timing is good to try targeted drugs.

Comments

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #2
    What does that mean? Sorry, I

    What does that mean? Sorry, I'm not familiar with targeted drugs.

    Jan

  • abita
    abita Member Posts: 1,152 Member
    #3
    JanJan63 said:

    What does that mean? Sorry, I

    What does that mean? Sorry, I'm not familiar with targeted drugs.

    Jan

    "Researchers have learned

    "Researchers have learned about some of the differences in cancer cells (or other cells near them) that help them grow and thrive. This has led to the development of drugs that “target” these differences. Treatment with these drugs is called targeted therapy.

    Targeted therapy drugs, like other drugs used to treat cancer, technically are considered chemotherapy. But targeted therapy drugs don’t work the same way as standard chemotherapy (chemo) drugs. For example, many targeted drugs go after the cancer cells’ inner workings – the programming that makes them different from normal, healthy cells, while leaving most healthy cells alone. These drugs tend to have side effects different from standard chemo drugs.

    Targeted therapy is a special type of chemotherapy that takes advantage of differences between normal cells and cancer cells. It’s sometimes used alone, but most often other cancer treatments are used with targeted therapy."
  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,429 Member
    #4
    Targeted Drugs

    I was in a immunotherapy study at MSK when my cancer came back.  Did not work.  So I had to now start FOLFORI (was on FOLFOX 4 years ago).  So far it is not working.  Spine and lung mets still growing, though some stopped, after three months of treatment, recent MRI shows spine tumor still growing.  Next CT scan coming up to see if if FOLFORI (now with avastin) is working.  I keep on asking about trials, more testing of my cancer and anything else.  So far no luck.  If a MSK specialist is able to help you, please let me know who you are seeing.  I will be on the phone to them immediately myself.

     

    JJ  Targeted therapies -> https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies/targeted-therapies-fact-sheet

  • abita
    abita Member Posts: 1,152 Member
    #5
    JanJan63 said:

    What does that mean? Sorry, I

    What does that mean? Sorry, I'm not familiar with targeted drugs.

    Jan

    That was what I got from the

    That was what I got from the internet. I have to be honest, when he first said I should go to specialist, I panicked and thought it was because I was out of options, so most of the rest of the appt was him expalining to me that no, it is because I am at a point where I can try targeted, so might as well. I believe that you cannot have chemo in your system when start this. I had a bad reaction my last time, so stoopped chemo while looking for new treatment plan. Plus, I guess they are small enough that it is okay to wait the time it takes to get into MSK.

  • abita
    abita Member Posts: 1,152 Member
    #6
    NewHere said:

    Targeted Drugs

    I was in a immunotherapy study at MSK when my cancer came back.  Did not work.  So I had to now start FOLFORI (was on FOLFOX 4 years ago).  So far it is not working.  Spine and lung mets still growing, though some stopped, after three months of treatment, recent MRI shows spine tumor still growing.  Next CT scan coming up to see if if FOLFORI (now with avastin) is working.  I keep on asking about trials, more testing of my cancer and anything else.  So far no luck.  If a MSK specialist is able to help you, please let me know who you are seeing.  I will be on the phone to them immediately myself.

     

    JJ  Targeted therapies -> https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies/targeted-therapies-fact-sheet

    When I first had the reaction

    When I first had the reaction to oxaliplatin, I was switched to FOLFIRi. This was for my mop up chemo. Well, it did not work and I had two new mets on liver. My oncologist isn't suggesting immunotherapy yet. Are you still at MSK? I looked at my initial scan when I was first diagnosed and the lung met was there all the time. I wonder why it only started growing recently, and got a second lung met. 

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,429 Member
    #7
    abita said:

    When I first had the reaction

    When I first had the reaction to oxaliplatin, I was switched to FOLFIRi. This was for my mop up chemo. Well, it did not work and I had two new mets on liver. My oncologist isn't suggesting immunotherapy yet. Are you still at MSK? I looked at my initial scan when I was first diagnosed and the lung met was there all the time. I wonder why it only started growing recently, and got a second lung met. 

    Yup Still At MSK

    4-1/2 years.  My met was there at the beginning also.  But too small to tell.  It started reducing on FOLFOX, but it was still small.  After done with FOLFOX, my CEA started rising then scans showed it was growing.  Had a piece of lung removed (which is NOTHING compared to the colon surgery, was out of hospital in 36 hours and did a 3.5 mile jog a week later) but my it was later in lymph nodes, throughout lungs and in spine.  Still all there.  But I am still asymptomatic bascially.  But I have been exercising a lot to keep my cardio strong.  (I had many lymph nodes that were cancerous removed on my initial surgery, over half of them, so things were probably out and about having a big party everywhere by the time of my diagnosis.)

  • abita
    abita Member Posts: 1,152 Member
    #8
    NewHere said:

    Yup Still At MSK

    4-1/2 years.  My met was there at the beginning also.  But too small to tell.  It started reducing on FOLFOX, but it was still small.  After done with FOLFOX, my CEA started rising then scans showed it was growing.  Had a piece of lung removed (which is NOTHING compared to the colon surgery, was out of hospital in 36 hours and did a 3.5 mile jog a week later) but my it was later in lymph nodes, throughout lungs and in spine.  Still all there.  But I am still asymptomatic bascially.  But I have been exercising a lot to keep my cardio strong.  (I had many lymph nodes that were cancerous removed on my initial surgery, over half of them, so things were probably out and about having a big party everywhere by the time of my diagnosis.)

    Everyone keeps asking me

    Everyone keeps asking me about having it removed, and for some reason the lung surgery terrifies me mor than the olon or liver resection. I am hoping to use my elliptical while on this break from chemo to build up stamina. So that maybe can exercise a bit despite the fatigue of treatment. Sorry about the met to spine. I can't even imagine that. Who do you recommend at MSK?

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #9
    Thanks! So it's not

    Thanks! So it's not immunotherapy. Got it. Immunotherapy targets a protein in the cancer cells and 'tells' the body to go after them. Some of the options available these days are really interesting. I would think a variety of treatments would be preferable to just doing one.

    Jan

  • Butt
    Butt Member Posts: 352 Member
    #10

    I know Avastin is a targeted drug. i Think 2 nets. An be easily removed they VATS or SIRB radiation. Feel free to correct the spelling. Also gamma knife. You don t need to go to MSK for that. Butt.

  • Ruthmomto4
    Ruthmomto4 Member Posts: 708 Member
    #11
    I hope they find one

    that gets those little pesky lung Mets, sorry they are even there!! SBRT radiation is excellent targeted radiation with very few if any side effects you could ask about that as well. It would kill them. Whatever you decide I hope it helps you!!

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #12
    Ruthmomto4 said:

    I hope they find one

    that gets those little pesky lung Mets, sorry they are even there!! SBRT radiation is excellent targeted radiation with very few if any side effects you could ask about that as well. It would kill them. Whatever you decide I hope it helps you!!

    Ruth, what does SBRT stand

    Ruth, what does SBRT stand for? I'm not familiar with that, either.

    Thanks,

    Jan

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,429 Member
    #13
    JanJan63 said:

    Ruth, what does SBRT stand

    Ruth, what does SBRT stand for? I'm not familiar with that, either.

    Thanks,

    Jan

    Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

    CyberKnife is one brand name for it

  • flutemon
    flutemon Member Posts: 41 Member
    #14
    JanJan63 said:

    Ruth, what does SBRT stand

    Ruth, what does SBRT stand for? I'm not familiar with that, either.

    Thanks,

    Jan

    SBRT

    SBRT is stereatactic body radiation therapy - targeted radiation.  They are able to do a high power beam that only goes to the tumor.  Used in liver in my case.  I had 2 deep mets that were zapped in January.  They do it over the course of 1 to 3 treatments of about an hour each.  There are few side effects and it seems to be effective if done by an experienced, qualified doctor.  I think originally it was for brain tumors, but it's also used for lung and liver.  I'm waiting for follow up imaging (while doing mop-up chemo) to make sure the sbrt did it's job.  Hoping it put me at NED.

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #15
    flutemon said:

    SBRT

    SBRT is stereatactic body radiation therapy - targeted radiation.  They are able to do a high power beam that only goes to the tumor.  Used in liver in my case.  I had 2 deep mets that were zapped in January.  They do it over the course of 1 to 3 treatments of about an hour each.  There are few side effects and it seems to be effective if done by an experienced, qualified doctor.  I think originally it was for brain tumors, but it's also used for lung and liver.  I'm waiting for follow up imaging (while doing mop-up chemo) to make sure the sbrt did it's job.  Hoping it put me at NED.

    Thanks! I suspect we don't

    Thanks! I suspect we don't have that available here in Canada. It takes so long for our system to approve new drugs and procedures.

    Jan

  • Emmett20
    Emmett20 Member Posts: 5
    edited April 2019 #16
    I had 12 rounds of Avastin

    I had 12 rounds of Avastin along with Folfox 6.  I am now resectable.  My next step is radiation plus xeloda starting tomorrow for 28 days then a rest period then surgery to rmove all remaining liver mets and any rectal cancer remaining plus install hai pump.  I would have loved to go to MSK but insurance would not approve so I am in the NIH trial for the HAI pump instead.  Either way I have to travel and Dr. Hernandez(my surgeon) trained at MSK.

  • abita
    abita Member Posts: 1,152 Member
    #17
    Emmett20 said:

    I had 12 rounds of Avastin

    I had 12 rounds of Avastin along with Folfox 6.  I am now resectable.  My next step is radiation plus xeloda starting tomorrow for 28 days then a rest period then surgery to rmove all remaining liver mets and any rectal cancer remaining plus install hai pump.  I would have loved to go to MSK but insurance would not approve so I am in the NIH trial for the HAI pump instead.  Either way I have to travel and Dr. Hernandez(my surgeon) trained at MSK.

    Are one of those drugs a

    Are one of those drugs a targeted drug?

  • Butt
    Butt Member Posts: 352 Member
    #18

    Avastin is a targeted drug.

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