Adriamycin vs Taxol

JKAlley · May 2003

Hi all. I want to start by thanking everyone here, what great support this is! I'm wondering if anyone out there has taken both adriamycin and taxol. I've finished ac treatments (YEA!!), and now I start on taxol and herceptin. I'm curious on how the taxol compares to ac. I'll be getting taxol/herceptin once a week, while I had ac every 3 weeks. I know there's not much worse than the old "red devil" but I'd like to have an idea what I'm in for with taxol, and with the herceptin for that matter, and if anyone has suggestions or tricks that helped them. I'll have these for 12 weeks, then I get to start radiation. I'll then continue with herceptin for a year. Thanks, Judy

chemoqueen1 · May 2003

Hi JK,

I am on Taxotere which is a relative of Taxol. I am also on Cyboplatin and Herceptin. I get Herceptine every week and Taxotere and Cybolplatin every 3 weeks for 6 cycles. Then Herceptine for 1 year. I was Her2+ which is why I am on Herceptine. I am in a study which should show weather adding herceptine prevents a reoccurance in her2+ tumors. I am doing great on the Taxotere/Cyboplatin. I have no nausea or vomitting. It is hard to taste things about 5 days after my treatment and it starts to come back just about when I'm ready for my next cycle. (what a tease!) I have heard that Taxotere is not as bad as Adriamycin. I did lose my hair right on schedule about 2 weeks after my 1st cycle. I'm sure you will just fine on the taxol. Hang in there, every drop is worth it, if it keeps it from coming back!

rainyday · May 2003

Congrats on completing AC. Good for you! you must be HER2+ if they are prescribing herceptin, right? My onoclogist just asked if I was interested in participating in a Phase111 trial which compares AC with Taxol as an adjuvant therapy for node-negative cancers. The taxol would be taken weekly for 12 weeks as opposed to the AC which would be 1 time every three weeks for 12 weeks. Chemoqueen I found the website but no reference to your trial. While Taxol is supposed to be gentler on the heart, it can cause severe allergic reactions. Adriamycin is hard on the heart and supposedly has more side effects. Can someone tell me why they would do both AC and then Taxol? Is it because of the heart thing. My treatment was going to be just 4 rounds of AC, then radiation, then tamoxafen for 5 years. I am a little confused. Nobody has suggested herceptin yet but that may happen on Monday. HUGS

chemoqueen1 · May 2003

rainyday said:
Congrats on completing AC. Good for you! you must be HER2+ if they are prescribing herceptin, right? My onoclogist just asked if I was interested in participating in a Phase111 trial which compares AC with Taxol as an adjuvant therapy for node-negative cancers. The taxol would be taken weekly for 12 weeks as opposed to the AC which would be 1 time every three weeks for 12 weeks. Chemoqueen I found the website but no reference to your trial. While Taxol is supposed to be gentler on the heart, it can cause severe allergic reactions. Adriamycin is hard on the heart and supposedly has more side effects. Can someone tell me why they would do both AC and then Taxol? Is it because of the heart thing. My treatment was going to be just 4 rounds of AC, then radiation, then tamoxafen for 5 years. I am a little confused. Nobody has suggested herceptin yet but that may happen on Monday. HUGS

I know that they do not put you on AC and herceptine at the same time because both can have effects on the heart. Maybe it is the same with Taxol and AC. The study investegator is Robert Nicholas , MD if that helps you at all.

squeeboo · May 2003

Hi Judy,
I had 4 rounds each of A/C and taxol(on 3 wk cycles). The taxol is easier than the A/C (same general side effects, but significantly milder) and some people even start growing their hair back a little on taxol (mine started to fuzz by the end).

simmonsg · May 2003

rainyday said:
Congrats on completing AC. Good for you! you must be HER2+ if they are prescribing herceptin, right? My onoclogist just asked if I was interested in participating in a Phase111 trial which compares AC with Taxol as an adjuvant therapy for node-negative cancers. The taxol would be taken weekly for 12 weeks as opposed to the AC which would be 1 time every three weeks for 12 weeks. Chemoqueen I found the website but no reference to your trial. While Taxol is supposed to be gentler on the heart, it can cause severe allergic reactions. Adriamycin is hard on the heart and supposedly has more side effects. Can someone tell me why they would do both AC and then Taxol? Is it because of the heart thing. My treatment was going to be just 4 rounds of AC, then radiation, then tamoxafen for 5 years. I am a little confused. Nobody has suggested herceptin yet but that may happen on Monday. HUGS

Hi rainyday: Just this week I had a treatment options discussion with my oncologist. He is doing 3 doses of AC (once every two weeks) followed by 3 doses of taxol (once every two week) I am also node negative. He explained that too much AC was bad on the heart later down the road and the taxol was gentler on the heart but would cause side effects of numbness in the fingers - so a little of both would be better for the future.

rainyday · May 2003

simmonsg said:
Hi rainyday: Just this week I had a treatment options discussion with my oncologist. He is doing 3 doses of AC (once every two weeks) followed by 3 doses of taxol (once every two week) I am also node negative. He explained that too much AC was bad on the heart later down the road and the taxol was gentler on the heart but would cause side effects of numbness in the fingers - so a little of both would be better for the future.

Thanks that helps a lot. When I first learned that I would do chemo last week the onc didn't offer any options just told me what we were going to do. I was too blown away at the time to question it all now I have a list of questions as long as my arm! LOl. Thanks to all of you ladies for getting me on track.

JKAlley · May 2003

rainyday said:
Congrats on completing AC. Good for you! you must be HER2+ if they are prescribing herceptin, right? My onoclogist just asked if I was interested in participating in a Phase111 trial which compares AC with Taxol as an adjuvant therapy for node-negative cancers. The taxol would be taken weekly for 12 weeks as opposed to the AC which would be 1 time every three weeks for 12 weeks. Chemoqueen I found the website but no reference to your trial. While Taxol is supposed to be gentler on the heart, it can cause severe allergic reactions. Adriamycin is hard on the heart and supposedly has more side effects. Can someone tell me why they would do both AC and then Taxol? Is it because of the heart thing. My treatment was going to be just 4 rounds of AC, then radiation, then tamoxafen for 5 years. I am a little confused. Nobody has suggested herceptin yet but that may happen on Monday. HUGS

Thanks for you help. Chemoqueen, I'm possibly in the same or similar study. I'm her2neu 3+, so yes, Rainyday I am. I know the combo of ac and taxol is the treatment set by this trial, but I'm not sure why.

llusk · May 2003

Hi: I finished all of my treatments 2 years ago. I had 4 rounds of AC 3 weeks apart and then 4 rounds of taxol 3 weeks apart (I know that they are doing them closer together now). I had a hard time with the AC -- lots of nausea, tiredness, etc. The taxol was a breezed thought, I lost all of my hair on my body that had not already fallen out with the AC. I had no numbness in my hands and feet, no nausea, etc with the Taxol; the only real side effect (other than more hair loss) was tiredness. Taxol was much kinder than AC. AC left me a little gift, congestive heart failure...but...I would rather be alive with congestive heart failure than not. Even if I knew that I was going to get CHF, I would not have altered my treatment. After 8 rounds of chemo, I had a double mastectomy and they found that I was cancer FREE!! However, I did opt to have radiation after surgery just as a further preventative. I have now been cancer free for 2 years and 5 months. I'm on tamoxifen for another 2 1/2 years (for a total of 5). Good luck to you in the rest of your treatments, we are all pulling for you. HUGS

JKAlley · May 2003

llusk said:
Hi: I finished all of my treatments 2 years ago. I had 4 rounds of AC 3 weeks apart and then 4 rounds of taxol 3 weeks apart (I know that they are doing them closer together now). I had a hard time with the AC -- lots of nausea, tiredness, etc. The taxol was a breezed thought, I lost all of my hair on my body that had not already fallen out with the AC. I had no numbness in my hands and feet, no nausea, etc with the Taxol; the only real side effect (other than more hair loss) was tiredness. Taxol was much kinder than AC. AC left me a little gift, congestive heart failure...but...I would rather be alive with congestive heart failure than not. Even if I knew that I was going to get CHF, I would not have altered my treatment. After 8 rounds of chemo, I had a double mastectomy and they found that I was cancer FREE!! However, I did opt to have radiation after surgery just as a further preventative. I have now been cancer free for 2 years and 5 months. I'm on tamoxifen for another 2 1/2 years (for a total of 5). Good luck to you in the rest of your treatments, we are all pulling for you. HUGS

Thanks MsKitty, and every one else, you know every postitive thought helps. Congrats to you, your what I'm striving for.

Adriamycin vs Taxol

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