Use of Gemzar for Breast Mets
Comments
-
Hi Ellen, A close friend in my Reach to Recovery support group found out her cancer had spread to lungs last year after battling 3 local recurrances. The oncologist put her on Gemzar and her last scan was good. Her hair has thinned slightly but she did not lose it. She is very active, babysitting grandchildren 5 days a week and has no problem keeping up with them. I believe the most serious issue was her blood count so they monitor it regularly. With the use of drugs like Procrit for red cell count and Neulasta for white, blood counts can often be controlled without discontinuing the chemo. Best of luck.
terri0 -
Terri, Your response was so encouraging...thank you! I was on Abraxane prior to Gemzar and it fatigued me excessively. With my latest spread, my oncologist felt Gemzar would be an easier option. Your feedback confirms his comments. Although I've only had two infusions of Gemzar, I know what you mean about low counts and have definitely experienced drops in my WBC, RBC and platelets. However, I'm receiving shots for both my white and red counts. As for the platelets,my chemo nurses are monitoring them and apparently will cut back my chemo dose if they go too low or hold on my treatment until they increase. Either way, it sounds to me like this round of chemo will be easier and, hopefully, produce a good outcome. Again, heartfelt thanks for your reply. Ellentlmac said:Hi Ellen, A close friend in my Reach to Recovery support group found out her cancer had spread to lungs last year after battling 3 local recurrances. The oncologist put her on Gemzar and her last scan was good. Her hair has thinned slightly but she did not lose it. She is very active, babysitting grandchildren 5 days a week and has no problem keeping up with them. I believe the most serious issue was her blood count so they monitor it regularly. With the use of drugs like Procrit for red cell count and Neulasta for white, blood counts can often be controlled without discontinuing the chemo. Best of luck.
terri0 -
Ellen, I will pray that your response to Gemzar is as favorable as my friend, Charlotte's. Take care.Ellen263 said:Terri, Your response was so encouraging...thank you! I was on Abraxane prior to Gemzar and it fatigued me excessively. With my latest spread, my oncologist felt Gemzar would be an easier option. Your feedback confirms his comments. Although I've only had two infusions of Gemzar, I know what you mean about low counts and have definitely experienced drops in my WBC, RBC and platelets. However, I'm receiving shots for both my white and red counts. As for the platelets,my chemo nurses are monitoring them and apparently will cut back my chemo dose if they go too low or hold on my treatment until they increase. Either way, it sounds to me like this round of chemo will be easier and, hopefully, produce a good outcome. Again, heartfelt thanks for your reply. Ellen
terri0
Discussion Boards
- All Discussion Boards
- 6 CSN Information
- 6 Welcome to CSN
- 121.2K Cancer specific
- 2.8K Anal Cancer
- 440 Bladder Cancer
- 306 Bone Cancers
- 1.6K Brain Cancer
- 28.4K Breast Cancer
- 391 Childhood Cancers
- 27.9K Colorectal Cancer
- 4.6K Esophageal Cancer
- 1.2K Gynecological Cancers (other than ovarian and uterine)
- 12.9K Head and Neck Cancer
- 6.3K Kidney Cancer
- 666 Leukemia
- 789 Liver Cancer
- 4.1K Lung Cancer
- 5.1K Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin)
- 235 Multiple Myeloma
- 7.1K Ovarian Cancer
- 53 Pancreatic Cancer
- 486 Peritoneal Cancer
- 5.3K Prostate Cancer
- 1.2K Rare and Other Cancers
- 532 Sarcoma
- 717 Skin Cancer
- 647 Stomach Cancer
- 190 Testicular Cancer
- 1.5K Thyroid Cancer
- 5.8K Uterine/Endometrial Cancer
- 6.3K Lifestyle Discussion Boards