Some Information On Avastin

ladyjogger31
ladyjogger31 Member Posts: 289
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
Hi Again,
My surgery was 2/29 and I have stage 3COC. I will start my first chem on 4/14. I am going to have a port put in on 4/7. I was asked if I would be willing to take Avastin in a clinical trial. I will also be on a combination of taxol/ carboplatin. I would have to sign consent forms. I am a little nervous. Has anyone taken Avastin? Has it helped? Are there any side effects?
Thanks, Terry

Comments

  • BonnieR
    BonnieR Member Posts: 1,526 Member
    #2
    Terry, I think the avastin along with the carbo taxol (golden standard there) would be a great combination. You would get the carbo taxol anyway right?

    Avastin did give me major headaches, and spiked my blood pressure but I know others that have handled it just fine. For me the avastin was the first thing that worked against my tumors for a long time. But I had lots of cancer at the time.

    How are they thinking it would make a difference? Is this phase one study or two or three?

    Keep us posted and glad to hear you got a port, makes life on chemo a bit easier.

    Hugs N Prayers Bonnie
  • ladyjogger31
    ladyjogger31 Member Posts: 289
    #3
    Hi Bonnie, Yes I will be getting the carbo/taxo. I do not know about the phase study. I am all so new to this. I will sign up for the clinical trial, although I won't know if I will be getting it or just a placebo. My hugs and prayers are sent to you. I have read some of your posts and you are a remarkable woman.
    Terry
  • groundeffect
    groundeffect Member Posts: 639 Member
    #4
    ladyjogger31 said:

    Hi Bonnie, Yes I will be getting the carbo/taxo. I do not know about the phase study. I am all so new to this. I will sign up for the clinical trial, although I won't know if I will be getting it or just a placebo. My hugs and prayers are sent to you. I have read some of your posts and you are a remarkable woman.
    Terry

    Terry, I think you need to ask your doctor a lot more questions. Avastin certainly has side effects - I know a few women who have taken it (one currently). One woman had to stop because it seriously affected her blood pressure, too, but while she was taking it, her existing tumors shrank tremendously. I think that if it was given with carbo/taxol combination, it may produce fabulous results.

    From what I've read (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong!), taxol "freezes" the fast-growing cells in the body (that's why hair falls out, and fingernails slow down) to allow the carboplatin to do its work of destroying the cancer cells. Avastin is supposed to stop the growth of tumor-feeding blood vessels.

    If you go to the ACS main page, you can search for these drugs and find out what they're for, what the side effects can be, and if they're approved for cancer treatment (that can be helpful to know for insurance purposes).

    Best of luck with your chemo - I hope it's a great combination for you, and that you'll feel great all through it!

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