Question about Maintenance

jmaddox915
jmaddox915 Member Posts: 80 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I was dx in July of this year with Stage IV colon cancer. Originally they found a spot about the size of a quarter on my liver, some disease in my lymph nodes in my abdomen and they thought in my lungs. I have since had a lung biopsy and thank the Lord that it turned out to be something else which is easier to live with and not terminal.

My last CT scanned show the spot gone as far as they can tell on my liver and my abdomen looked normal.

My oncologist wants me to finish the last 5 treatments of Folfox and 5FU. If afterwards, I am declared NED, she still wants to do Avastin indefinitely.

My question is with other cancers, they are not always on chemo indefinitely and go back for scans, etc every 3 months. Does it sound normal for my oncologist to want to keep me on chemo indefinitely?

I feel like I am lucky if I have to have this. Reading this board, it sounds like I am in a better position than what I could be.

Comments

  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #2
    Avastin for "maintenance"
    My onc has never used the term "maintenance". but Avastin only after chemo (technically Avastin is not chemotherapy) is sort of "in vogue" now.

    I am also Stage IV - diagnosed 5/05 - liver met - NED after 2 cycles of Xeloda/oxaliplatin/Avastin - completed 6. Fast forward to 11/08 when a possible lung nodule was detected - removed via VATS 4/09 - NED then but decided to do 6 cycles of Xeloda plus Avastin, followed by Avastin only.

    Our nominal plan is to stop Avastin next June - after 1 year - but there really are no stopping criteria. No clue if it is helping and thus no clue when to stop. Thru all this my mental health has been good, but at this point I am tired of thinking of cancer all the time and sort of worried that we have no idea if or when to ever stop Avastin.

    Meanwhile, I have no side effects from Avastin - perhaps a bit of nose bleed, but I also have a cold, so that is probably not related to Avastin.
  • walkingnutritionman
    walkingnutritionman Member Posts: 15
    #3
    I cannot comment on the efficacy of solely using Avastin. But...
    I cannot comment on the efficacy of solely using Avastin. On the other hand, one should do everything possible to decrease the possibility of recurrence. Toward that end, I would strongly suggest you get the following book which gives a lot of support to a nutritional approach to increase the efficacy of the chemotherapy you have already received: Anticancer: A New Way of Life, written by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, a physician who has for 10 years kept a type of brain cancer he has from growing after he developed a recurrence after surgery and chemotherapy. You can get more information about the book at Amazon.com, or by Googling the word "Anticancer".
  • jmaddox915
    jmaddox915 Member Posts: 80 Member
    #4
    walkingnutritionman said:

    I cannot comment on the efficacy of solely using Avastin. But...
    I cannot comment on the efficacy of solely using Avastin. On the other hand, one should do everything possible to decrease the possibility of recurrence. Toward that end, I would strongly suggest you get the following book which gives a lot of support to a nutritional approach to increase the efficacy of the chemotherapy you have already received: Anticancer: A New Way of Life, written by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, a physician who has for 10 years kept a type of brain cancer he has from growing after he developed a recurrence after surgery and chemotherapy. You can get more information about the book at Amazon.com, or by Googling the word "Anticancer".

    Thank you both for your
    Thank you both for your replies. I guess in my heart, I just want this "cancer" thing to be done. I dont' want it hanging over my head but I guess this is just the way it has to be. I have tried really hard to think of this as a chronic disease like diabeties, etc but it is hard.
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #5
    jmaddox915 said:

    Thank you both for your
    Thank you both for your replies. I guess in my heart, I just want this "cancer" thing to be done. I dont' want it hanging over my head but I guess this is just the way it has to be. I have tried really hard to think of this as a chronic disease like diabeties, etc but it is hard.

    Maintenance
    I don't know if this is considered maintenance but will will comment. My hubby (Stage IV - mets liver/lungs) in November completed his full 12 doses of the whole Folfox thing. He next had scans. The chemo worked well at shrinking and making some mets disappear. Our onc was very happy with the results saying "substantial reduction" and "disappear", those were the words we were hoping for. He started chemo again at the end of November. This time it is 5FU and Leucovorin every week adding avastin every other week. Don't know how long this will go on, we go back to onc in January. Tina
  • walkingnutritionman
    walkingnutritionman Member Posts: 15
    #6
    jmaddox915 said:

    Thank you both for your
    Thank you both for your replies. I guess in my heart, I just want this "cancer" thing to be done. I dont' want it hanging over my head but I guess this is just the way it has to be. I have tried really hard to think of this as a chronic disease like diabeties, etc but it is hard.

    Hang in there! I know that
    Hang in there! I know that there are many people here that will be rooting for you.

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