BAC Lung Cancer and Tarceva

djack
djack Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
My mother was recently diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer known as bronchoaveolar cancer (BAC).
The best drug for this is Tarceva. Does anyone have this type of Lung Cancer and have you used this drug. Have you broke out in the terrible rash that is one of the primary side effects?

Comments

  • jagged
    jagged Member Posts: 55
    #2
    Tarceva works in about 35% of the population; highest among Asian. It is a great drug, and yes, it does give you acne. Compared to hair loss, acne is nothing. A good makeup foundation will cover most of it. The acne is a sign that the drug may be working, and can add 6 month to 3 years to life.

    I assume your mom's doctor will scan after she takes the drug a while, to see if it is affective. If possible, get the scan around two weeks followwing its start. The sooner they know the drug is working, the better for your mom.

    Yes, I tried it, and it did not work with me. :( Too bad. It was one of the easiest cancer drugs to deal with.

    Good luck with your mom.

    ----jag
  • djack
    djack Member Posts: 4
    #3
    jagged said:

    Tarceva works in about 35% of the population; highest among Asian. It is a great drug, and yes, it does give you acne. Compared to hair loss, acne is nothing. A good makeup foundation will cover most of it. The acne is a sign that the drug may be working, and can add 6 month to 3 years to life.

    I assume your mom's doctor will scan after she takes the drug a while, to see if it is affective. If possible, get the scan around two weeks followwing its start. The sooner they know the drug is working, the better for your mom.

    Yes, I tried it, and it did not work with me. :( Too bad. It was one of the easiest cancer drugs to deal with.

    Good luck with your mom.

    ----jag

    Thanks Jag. Since Tarceva didn't work for you, are you getting chemo now? Did makeup aggrevate the rash...? I agree compared to hair loss..we can't complain. They are supposed to scan on a regular basis. Anything else you can share would be greatly appreciated...this is all new to me and my family.
  • jagged
    jagged Member Posts: 55
    #4
    djack said:

    Thanks Jag. Since Tarceva didn't work for you, are you getting chemo now? Did makeup aggrevate the rash...? I agree compared to hair loss..we can't complain. They are supposed to scan on a regular basis. Anything else you can share would be greatly appreciated...this is all new to me and my family.

    My Doctor prescribed pills and lotion that took care of the acne. The makeup was a powder base and it worked fine.

    Chemotherapy would be the next likely route.

    Me, I have had my share of treatment and have opted for no further treatment, and, the truth is some of the drugs just don't work for me. This is most definitely not the choice for everyone. It is right for me.
  • Diane03
    Diane03 Member Posts: 42
    #5
    I too have stage IV not BAC though. I did read about Tarceva. Unfortunateyl, due to a bad reaction to another chemo drug of the same dirivative, I am not a candidate for Tarceva. There are quite a lot of studies using that drug available. I wish you and your family well.
  • Diane03
    Diane03 Member Posts: 42
    #6
    jagged said:

    My Doctor prescribed pills and lotion that took care of the acne. The makeup was a powder base and it worked fine.

    Chemotherapy would be the next likely route.

    Me, I have had my share of treatment and have opted for no further treatment, and, the truth is some of the drugs just don't work for me. This is most definitely not the choice for everyone. It is right for me.

    I am having the same issue with a lot of the drugs I've tried thus far. Either I have a terrible reaction and cannot take that type any longer or they don't seem to be working. How do you know when enough is enough? It's a brave decision!
  • jagged
    jagged Member Posts: 55
    #7
    Diane03 said:

    I am having the same issue with a lot of the drugs I've tried thus far. Either I have a terrible reaction and cannot take that type any longer or they don't seem to be working. How do you know when enough is enough? It's a brave decision!

    When to cut it is sure a personal decision. For me, critical to getting to this type of a decision is to get beyond the denial of death and think your situation through. Pretty hard being so close to it.

    I have had cancer three times. I know how I react, what I did not want to do again, etc. Also, going into this, I knew my life time is limited. My doctor calls cancer a withering disease. You die over a period of time, i.e., 3-6 months. During that time, you've got to live with yourself.
    --How did I want to live the rest of that time?

    I established what I could and could not live with, and gave some wiggle room because I really do want to live. When the treatment went beyond that, it was no longer an option. The gain was not worth the loss.

    This is a very hard decision and frankly, I sometimes have second thoughts. But, many of the drugs just don't work with me, so, too, my real options have about run out.
  • talk to me
    talk to me Member Posts: 1
    #8
    jagged said:

    When to cut it is sure a personal decision. For me, critical to getting to this type of a decision is to get beyond the denial of death and think your situation through. Pretty hard being so close to it.

    I have had cancer three times. I know how I react, what I did not want to do again, etc. Also, going into this, I knew my life time is limited. My doctor calls cancer a withering disease. You die over a period of time, i.e., 3-6 months. During that time, you've got to live with yourself.
    --How did I want to live the rest of that time?

    I established what I could and could not live with, and gave some wiggle room because I really do want to live. When the treatment went beyond that, it was no longer an option. The gain was not worth the loss.

    This is a very hard decision and frankly, I sometimes have second thoughts. But, many of the drugs just don't work with me, so, too, my real options have about run out.

    jagged thank you for letting
    jagged thank you for letting me know it takes 3-6 months to die and that tarcive can give me a few months to 3 years longer. I have no information and I am frustrated and want detail but none of the doctors I have seen wants to talk to me.
    I had one operation & they removed a 9 cm tumor, BAC cancer. That was in Sept. of 08 now the lung specialist suggest the surgen take an byopsy, isn't that just another word for an other operation? An other operation I had decided is not worth it weighing what I went thru and gaining maybe 3 months.
    I hope you are still around jagged
    talk to me
  • stayingcalm
    stayingcalm Member Posts: 650 Member
    #9
    talk to me said:

    jagged thank you for letting
    jagged thank you for letting me know it takes 3-6 months to die and that tarcive can give me a few months to 3 years longer. I have no information and I am frustrated and want detail but none of the doctors I have seen wants to talk to me.
    I had one operation & they removed a 9 cm tumor, BAC cancer. That was in Sept. of 08 now the lung specialist suggest the surgen take an byopsy, isn't that just another word for an other operation? An other operation I had decided is not worth it weighing what I went thru and gaining maybe 3 months.
    I hope you are still around jagged
    talk to me

    Jagged
    From reading around on the boards, I don't think Jagged is still with us, I'm sorry.

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