Avastin & Xeloda for Maintenance Chemo treatments

taraHK said:

ask?
Avastin plus Xeloda is a perfectly good "cocktail". But you might want to ask your onc why the switch. Maybe the Avastin/Xeloda combo is considered sufficient/effective for "mop up" chemo after surgery, whereas the previous combo was designed to shrink tumors before surgery?

I was on Avastin/Xeloda for awhile. I had no side effects from Avasin. Xeloda was very convenient and I had no side effects for a while but eventually had sore feet (soles of feet).

Good luck!

Tara

steved said:

OFfensive/ defensive
I am not sure if that is how I would think about it. In truth for many with stage 4 it is about managing the illness and accepting that cure is not the aim may be part of coming to terms with the illness. I have been through that process and those conversations with the doc and they are some of the hardest. But I think that in truth it is that difficult balance between acceptance and hope- how much do hold onto hope of cure and how much do we accept this isn't curable and focus on quality and disease management. It is a different balance for each person to get right for them and I am not here to tell you where you balance sits.

Avastin and zeloda is still an aggressive approach and I have done it for 6 months. The benefit is for me it was very well tolerated and quality of lifeon it was good. In that phase I was told my cancer could not be cured (now shifted due to new operative option) and so quality of life was critical. Yes, you feel you can take more side effects but for what gain? I am not certain the erbitux and oxaliplatin will necessarily be considered a stronger cocktail and even if it is does that justify the loss of quality due to side effects.

It is a game of balancing and weighing up all the pros and cons (many of which can only be guessed at) and deciding with your team the best way to go. Hard decision and difficult adjustments- no real answers as only you can say what they are.

steve

Nana b said:

I am on Xeloda right now, a
I am on Xeloda right now, a bit of nausea. Avastin will be added i the next couple weeks.

Julie061 said:

Avastin & xeloda
This was the first course used by my doc after confirming lung mets. I received 6 months treatment ending last August. She said there were many more treatment options available to us after this round, as needed. One year later and my nodules are still stable with not much evidence of disease progression. She will continue to monitor (scans every 3 months) and put me back on treatment when she thinks it is time. I am very fortunate to have had a year's break and am hoping for longer;) next scans are in August. I am also extremely grateful to be part of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America family.

How I tolerated these drugs. I have always had a hard time with Xeloda. Worsening as the number of courses taken (started it in 2007) has increased. The last one was the hardest, having to wear soft booties and gloves to protect my hands and feet, and having a constant feeling of nausea. The Avastin was not bad, but started causing some headaches. I did not experience any blood pressure problems. As a side note, my insurance refused to pay for Avastin, said it was "experimental". I applied to Genentec for assistance and they will cover all future drugs I need, that they manufacture, free of charge.

I realized my cancer had progressed to treatable and not curable when my lung resection/biopsy confirmed my original appendix cancer had spread to my bloodstream and settled in my lungs. Everyone's body is different. Every break is different. But I think anything is possible!

Best to you on this next round;)

Julie