TAXOL

bunnie
bunnie Member Posts: 233
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi has anyone been on Taxol and if so what can i expect for side effects.They are also doing another drug along with it but cant rember what it is called.Doc said that more than likley i will loose my hair is this true?any help would be apprecated thanks in advance Bunnie

Comments

  • wsmsilva
    wsmsilva Member Posts: 19
    #2
    While everyone reacts differently, most people do have hair loss while on Taxol. If you do a search on Taxol you will find more information about side effects and hair loss is a big one. The good news is that hair will grow back--and while devasting to lose one's hair--it's good to know it is not a permanent condition.

    I started Taxol a month ago and exactly 14 days after my first treatment, my hair began serious thinning--and is almost gone now. Other than that, I haven't really noticed any side effects that are too difficult to deal with. Fatigue, of course, and a some muscle aches and pains.

    Good luck--I'll be thinking about you.

    Mary
  • judiek
    judiek Member Posts: 71
    #3
    Bunnie,

    I am on a clinical trial of avastin and taxol. My hair starting thining about 3 weeks after I started treatment. I now have about 20% left. This way I can throw a cap on to work out and I have something without wearing a head piece. I have heard that some peoples hair grows back while on taxol...I am starting to get a little peach fuss. My eybrows are very thin and I have stopped wearing mascara...eyelashes almost gone on one eye other is still ok. I have now had 12 treatments and side effects are manageable...some joint pain but I take bextra for that. I will let you know my ct results as soon as I get them...after 6 treatments I had siginificant shrinkage (started with extensive mets to both lungs and liver). Hoping today my scan shows some of the tumors gone and the rest contiuing to shrink. Is the other drug, gemzar or carpo? or maybe herceptin? Are you er/pr neg or pos? new2 pos or neg? Praying this new combo puts you into remission

    Warmly,

    Judie
  • elizagain
    elizagain Member Posts: 43
    #4
    wsmsilva said:

    While everyone reacts differently, most people do have hair loss while on Taxol. If you do a search on Taxol you will find more information about side effects and hair loss is a big one. The good news is that hair will grow back--and while devasting to lose one's hair--it's good to know it is not a permanent condition.

    I started Taxol a month ago and exactly 14 days after my first treatment, my hair began serious thinning--and is almost gone now. Other than that, I haven't really noticed any side effects that are too difficult to deal with. Fatigue, of course, and a some muscle aches and pains.

    Good luck--I'll be thinking about you.

    Mary

    Hi, just curious - how often are you having Taxol? My onc may want to put me on it at 1 hour every week - she tells me there is hair thinning but not complete loss. (I don't think I believe that.)
  • bunnie
    bunnie Member Posts: 233
    #5
    judiek said:

    Bunnie,

    I am on a clinical trial of avastin and taxol. My hair starting thining about 3 weeks after I started treatment. I now have about 20% left. This way I can throw a cap on to work out and I have something without wearing a head piece. I have heard that some peoples hair grows back while on taxol...I am starting to get a little peach fuss. My eybrows are very thin and I have stopped wearing mascara...eyelashes almost gone on one eye other is still ok. I have now had 12 treatments and side effects are manageable...some joint pain but I take bextra for that. I will let you know my ct results as soon as I get them...after 6 treatments I had siginificant shrinkage (started with extensive mets to both lungs and liver). Hoping today my scan shows some of the tumors gone and the rest contiuing to shrink. Is the other drug, gemzar or carpo? or maybe herceptin? Are you er/pr neg or pos? new2 pos or neg? Praying this new combo puts you into remission

    Warmly,

    Judie

    Hi judieki was neg I wil take one does of taxol whch my doc said will take appx 4 hours too do just what i want to do is sit in a chair for four hours.we are going to do two tretments then stop and run test too see if it is even heling.thanks for your response.Bunnie
  • wsmsilva
    wsmsilva Member Posts: 19
    #6
    bunnie said:

    Hi judieki was neg I wil take one does of taxol whch my doc said will take appx 4 hours too do just what i want to do is sit in a chair for four hours.we are going to do two tretments then stop and run test too see if it is even heling.thanks for your response.Bunnie

    I'm taking a combo of low dose taxol and carboplatin once a week for 3 weeks and then off for a week. 3 hours in the chair--which includes all the hydration, and other stuff to combat immediate side effects. My doc had told me hair thinning too--but I call it definite hair loss. We can all do it! Each day that goes by we are survivors and fighters--cheers for courage and determination.
    Mary
  • tulip66
    tulip66 Member Posts: 32
    #7
    elizagain said:

    Hi, just curious - how often are you having Taxol? My onc may want to put me on it at 1 hour every week - she tells me there is hair thinning but not complete loss. (I don't think I believe that.)

    Hi Eliz - I took Taxol for 12 consecutive weeks and it took all of the hair on my body...including arms, legs...you name it. I did however start to grow this stuff I call chemo fuzz (which I shaved) on my head. It was white and looked like Albert Einstein's hair! To me it looked worse than the baldness!
    But, I was thankful for the Taxol because it does such a great job on killing the cancer cells. Good luck with the Taxol.
    Ruth
  • mom62
    mom62 Member Posts: 604 Member
    #8
    Bunnie,

    Just to let you know I had 4 A/C 4 Taxol treatments every 2 weeks. Taxol gave me severe muscle and joint pain 2-3 days after treatment for 2-3 days. It drained me, it was difficult just to walk upstairs. I'm back to normal now though. I had already lost my hair during the A/C treatments, so that I can't tell you. I also got numbness in my fingers and toes. It's still in my toes 2 months after being done chemo (just annoying). Good luck and God bless!

    Terry
  • gdpawel
    gdpawel Member Posts: 523 Member
    #9
    Chemosensitivity Testing

    One approach to individualizing patient therapy is chemosensitivity testing. Chemosensitivity assay is a laboratory test that determines how effective specific chemotherapy agents are against an individual patient's cancer cells. Often, results are obtained before the patient begins treatment. This kind of testing can assist in individualizing cancer therapy by providing information about the likely response of an individual patient's tumor to proposed therapy. Chemosensitivity testing may have utility at the time of initial therapy, and in instances of severe drug hypersensitivity, failed therapy, recurrent disease, and metastatic disease, by providing assistance in selecting optimal chemotherapy regimens.

    All available chemosensitivity assays are able to report drug "resistance" information. Resistance implies that when a patient's cancer cells are exposed to a particular chemotherapy agent in the laboratory, the cancer cells will continue to live and grow. Some chemosensitivity assays also are able to report drug "sensitivity" information. Sensitivity implies that when a patient's cancer cells are treated with a particular chemotherapy agent in the laboratory, that agent will kill the cancer cells or inhibit their proliferation.

    The goal of all chemosensitivity tests is to determine the response of a patient's cancer cells to proposed chemotherapy agents. Knowing which chemotherapy agents the patient's cancer cells are resistant to is important. Then, these options can be eliminated, thereby avoiding the toxicity of ineffective agents. In addition, some chemosensitivity assays predict tumor cell sensitivity, or which agent would be most effective. Choosing the most effective agent can help patients to avoid the physical, emotional, and financial costs of failed therapy and experience an increased quality of life.

    Fresh samples of the patient's tumor from surgery or a biopsy are grown in test tubes and tested with various drugs. Drugs that are most effective in killing the cultured cells are recommended for treatment. Chemosensitivity testing does have predictive value, especially in predicting what "won't" work. Patients who have been through several chemotherapy regimens and are running out of options might want to consider chemosensitivity testing. It might help you find the best option or save you from fruitless additional treatment. Today, chemosensitivity testing has progressed to the point where it is 85% - 90% effective.

    Listing of "Reputable" Labs USA:

    These labs will provide you and your physician with in depth information and research on the testing they provide.

    Analytical Biosystems, Inc., Providence, Rhode Island. Ken Blackman, PhD. Solid Tumors Only. 1-800-262-6520

    Anticancer, Inc., San Diego, CA. Robert Hoffman, PhD. Solid Tumors Only. 1-619-654-2555

    Oncotech, Inc., Irvine, CA. John Fruehauf, MD. Solid Tumors and Hematologics. 1-714-474-9262 / FAX 1-714-474-8147

    Sylvester Cancer Institute, Miami, FL. Bernd-Uwe Sevin, MD. Solid Tumors Only. (especially GYN). 1-305-547-6875

    Human Tumor Cloning Laboratory, San Antonio, TX. Daniel D. Von Hoff, MD. Solid Tumors Only. 1-210-677-3827

    Rational Therapeutics Institute, Long Beach, CA. Robert A. Nagourney, MD Solid Tumors and Hematologics. 562-989-6455 http://www.rational-t.com/

    DiaTech Oncology, Brentwood, TN. Vladimir D. Kravtsov, MD, PhD Medical Director 1-615-294-9033

    Weisenthal Cancer Group, Huntington Beach, CA. Larry M. Weisenthal, MD, PhD. Solid Tumors and Hematologics. 1-714-894-0011 / FAX 1-714-893-3659 / e-mail: mail@weisenthal.org

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