Krass mutated gene treatment

cyndi2324
cyndi2324 Member Posts: 72
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
HELP,
I am in my second year of treatment for colon cancer. The 1st year I had surgery and 4fu and xeloda chemo. My cancer had already gone outside of my colon to an ovary and a lymph node. Two months after my chemo I felt something was wrong again. My wonderful Dr. had me do a pet scan and it was positive in 4 places still in my colon/abdomen. She said I need a gene test for kras and surgery . I now have a colostomy and am back in chemo. I do have the mutated kras gene so the 1st treatment didn't work. I am now getting CPT11, Camptosar as my chemo. Has any one else had to deal with the mutated kras gene and colon cancer? What works? All I know is most of the chemo drugs don't work on this. I pray that CPT 11 does. I'm one a six month round of 2 weeks on 1 week off. Any information about your experience of this awful gene and treatment we be VERY appreciated.
Thank You,
Cyndi2324

Comments

  • grammadebbie
    grammadebbie Member Posts: 464
    #2
    Welcome
    Dear Cyndi2324,

    I don't have any experience with the gene treatment. Just wanted to welcome you to this wonderful forum. You will find much compassion, wisdom, and loving care. I'm sure someone with knowledge on this subject will be answering you soon. Sorry for all you're going thru, I will be praying for you. Please let us know how things are going.

    God Bless You,

    Debbie (gramma)
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    #3
    Wrong info
    Cyndi, only a certain type drug (2 drugs total) is not effective on KRAS mutant tumors and a study is being done right now to see if Erbitux can be made to work on that type tumor if given with another drug.


    Read study here

    Since your cancer had already spread, I'm surprised you just got 4 FU and then Xeloda.

    30-40% of colon tumors are thought to be the KRAS mutant gene type. Folfox works very well. Doctors have only started testing for the KRAS gene because of Erbitux, which is used for Stage IV.

    I am KRAS mutant positive as are many of our members.


    "About 35-40 percent of all colorectal cancers have a mutation in the KRAS gene," said Leonard B. Saltz, M.D., medical oncologist and colorectal cancer expert at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and principal investigator of the trial. "Erbitux and related antibodies are ineffective against these KRAS-mutated cells."
  • cyndi2324
    cyndi2324 Member Posts: 72
    #4
    dianetavegia said:

    Wrong info
    Cyndi, only a certain type drug (2 drugs total) is not effective on KRAS mutant tumors and a study is being done right now to see if Erbitux can be made to work on that type tumor if given with another drug.


    Read study here

    Since your cancer had already spread, I'm surprised you just got 4 FU and then Xeloda.

    30-40% of colon tumors are thought to be the KRAS mutant gene type. Folfox works very well. Doctors have only started testing for the KRAS gene because of Erbitux, which is used for Stage IV.

    I am KRAS mutant positive as are many of our members.


    "About 35-40 percent of all colorectal cancers have a mutation in the KRAS gene," said Leonard B. Saltz, M.D., medical oncologist and colorectal cancer expert at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and principal investigator of the trial. "Erbitux and related antibodies are ineffective against these KRAS-mutated cells."

    kras gene
    Hi Diane,
    I didn't make myself clear about my 1st treatment. I did get 5 or 4 fu & Flofox I took these for 3 months and got too ill to take them any longer then was put on the xeloda for the other 3 months. I stopped my treatment on Thanksgiving last year (2008) and by the end of Jan. 2009 was not feeling right and my CEA started to go up by middle of Feb. my CEA was 7+ so i was given a pet scan and I lite up in 4 places in my abdomen. Then Had surgery again and was tested for the mutated kras gene. Such drugs as centuximab and panitumumba don't work on the mutated kras gene either. According to the NCI's information , tumors with kras mutations are unlikely to respond to the drugs that inhibit the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Some people respond better if they have the wild kras gene. So I'm trying to find other people
    that have had success. Thank You so much for your response. Maybe CPT11 will work because I don't know of other drugs right now that I could take.
    God Bless You,
    Cyndi2324
  • ADKer
    ADKer Member Posts: 147
    #5
    cyndi2324 said:

    kras gene
    Hi Diane,
    I didn't make myself clear about my 1st treatment. I did get 5 or 4 fu & Flofox I took these for 3 months and got too ill to take them any longer then was put on the xeloda for the other 3 months. I stopped my treatment on Thanksgiving last year (2008) and by the end of Jan. 2009 was not feeling right and my CEA started to go up by middle of Feb. my CEA was 7+ so i was given a pet scan and I lite up in 4 places in my abdomen. Then Had surgery again and was tested for the mutated kras gene. Such drugs as centuximab and panitumumba don't work on the mutated kras gene either. According to the NCI's information , tumors with kras mutations are unlikely to respond to the drugs that inhibit the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Some people respond better if they have the wild kras gene. So I'm trying to find other people
    that have had success. Thank You so much for your response. Maybe CPT11 will work because I don't know of other drugs right now that I could take.
    God Bless You,
    Cyndi2324

    CPT11
    Hi Cindi -

    I have taken CPT11, also known as irinotecan and campostar, twice - for about 6 months last year in combination with oxaliplatin and again this year without the oxaliplatin. Both times the CPT11 was helpful for me in shrinking and/or eliminating tumors in my liver. Although some people experience diarrhea from CPT11, I did not. The steroids that I was given to avoid nausea, though, did give me a big appetite and cause me to gain weight this year. Best wishes to you.
  • shrevebud
    shrevebud Member Posts: 105
    #6
    KRAS
    HI Cyndi:

    I have stage IV disease and have had the KRAS testing and apparently I have the "wild" type. I took Vectobix for awhile - as long as I could stand it - it did nasty things to my skin. I won't even consider Erbitux. I hope that something will work out for you. Take care. Roy
  • cyndi2324
    cyndi2324 Member Posts: 72
    #7
    ADKer said:

    CPT11
    Hi Cindi -

    I have taken CPT11, also known as irinotecan and campostar, twice - for about 6 months last year in combination with oxaliplatin and again this year without the oxaliplatin. Both times the CPT11 was helpful for me in shrinking and/or eliminating tumors in my liver. Although some people experience diarrhea from CPT11, I did not. The steroids that I was given to avoid nausea, though, did give me a big appetite and cause me to gain weight this year. Best wishes to you.

    CPT11
    Thanks ADker for the info. I don't get diarrhea either but I do have problems the other way and trying to keep my colostomy open. I have just started walking on a tread mill to try and get strength and endurance back. Wow you look in great shape. The very best wishes to you also.
    Cyndi2324
  • cyndi2324
    cyndi2324 Member Posts: 72
    #8
    shrevebud said:

    KRAS
    HI Cyndi:

    I have stage IV disease and have had the KRAS testing and apparently I have the "wild" type. I took Vectobix for awhile - as long as I could stand it - it did nasty things to my skin. I won't even consider Erbitux. I hope that something will work out for you. Take care. Roy

    kras gene
    Hi Roy,
    Have you had CPT11? If not you might consider asking your Dr. about it for you. So far it just makes me tired and constipated. Doesn't sound great but I'll take that over the reactions I had to the drugs I took last year. The wild kras type responds to more chemo drugs than the mutated kras so that is good for you. Thank God they are working all the time to come up with new treatments that are more gene targeted. I donated one of my tumors from my last surgery to
    START primary human tumor xenograft development, to hopefully help with cures.
    I wish you the best and take care also
    Cyndi2324

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