re: good news but still troubled

musiclover
musiclover Member Posts: 242
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Mark is back on the trial (Xeloda, Avastin, Oxy). That is good, I think, although I'm concerned about two things:

1) the Xeloda that he is going back on. He was taken off because of the raised bilirubin levels. Won't that just happen again taking the same dosage?

2) The enlarged lesions in the lungs found on the last scan. Some grew, some shrank. Don't know if that was because he was off the Xeloda for a solid month. Anyone have this happen? Oncologist number one said it was not entirely unheard of.

Thanks soooo much! Kathryn

Comments

  • oneagleswings
    oneagleswings Member Posts: 425 Member
    #2
    Hi- not sure if this will help but my husband was on folfiri with avastin and his scan showed "variable" response...some lesions shrank but others appeared to grow...he is now on oxaliplatin and xeloda..it would be appreciated if you could let me know what Mark has been on before this one...and what you mean by being "back on trial"..my husband was on the trial with avastin and once even just one lesion grew- it was "no more trial"

    Thanks and I look foreard to hearing from you either as a return post or email..
    Take care
    Bev
  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #3
    Regarding your 1st question: yes, it will happen again. This is exactly what happened to my mother. The doctor's reply to my concern about this was that affecting the liver is Xeloda's side effect.

    Can't help you with 2nd question.

    Best wishes, Eleonora
  • musiclover
    musiclover Member Posts: 242
    #4
    oneagleswings said:

    Hi- not sure if this will help but my husband was on folfiri with avastin and his scan showed "variable" response...some lesions shrank but others appeared to grow...he is now on oxaliplatin and xeloda..it would be appreciated if you could let me know what Mark has been on before this one...and what you mean by being "back on trial"..my husband was on the trial with avastin and once even just one lesion grew- it was "no more trial"

    Thanks and I look foreard to hearing from you either as a return post or email..
    Take care
    Bev

    Bev, Mark had a scare last week when his doctor took him off the study he had been on for the past four months. They said it wasn't working but in the same day decided it was and put him back on. He almost missed the usual bi-weekely chemo. The only study he's been on is the Avastin, Xeloda and Oxyaliplatin. The concern was the lung nodules that seemed to get larger since the first CT. He was off Xeloda for a month because of high Bilirubin levels. That may be the reason for the growth of the lesions but I don't know - I still have not had a final talk with the doctor.

    Question - how did the doctors decide it was the Avastin that was making the lesions grow in your husband? That is alarming to me but they have decided to keep him on this stuff anyway. Make sure they measure the bilirubin levels for your husband. Xeloda can cause trouble in that department.

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