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Anyone who couldn't take chemo
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Jul 08, 2014 - 4:46 pm
can anyone give me any advise? I have lung cancer and only have 8 radiation treatments left to do. But the one chemo treatment I have had took my WBC down so low that in 3 weeks it still is only at a 2 and they've said my body just cannot take chemo. I will be put on a drug called Tarceva when I finish my radiation. Has anyone else not been able to take chemo? Any questions I should ask? Thank you. |
Joined: Mar 2011
My experience was different so...
....I am writing to lend a bit of support. Did they do any mutation testing? I forget. I do want you to know that Tarceva has worked well in many patients who did not test EGFR+.
Joined: May 2014
Tarceva
Yes. They did to mutaction testing on me. The Tarceva works on my cancer. The ALK mutation was negative.
Joined: Mar 2011
Not too late to get a second opinion.
It concerns me that they continue to use chemo if you are EGFR+. Standard protocol, recommended by the National Cancer Institute of the NIH recommends that patients be put on Tarceva right away. That way the chemo treatment can be used at a later time - after the patient experiences progression and the patient has been through the second and future generations of kinase inhibiting drugs.
If however, you do finish this line of chemo, it is not unheard of to allow the patient 2-3 extra weeks between infusions. Please consider another oncologist.
Joined: May 2014
They are not giving me chemo
They are not giving me chemo no more because it took my WBC down to 2 and it didn't come back up. I will go on Tarceva this week. I have 3 more radiation treatments.
Do you know if most people tolerate Tarceva well?
Thank you
Joined: Mar 2011
Side effects can be a bit
Side effects can be a bit tough at first. This link will take you to a group of Tarceva users who are very active on the Internet. You may want to register at their website as well. There a some chatting on the thread and a lot if great info.
http://www.inspire.com/groups/lung-cancer-survivors/discussion/tarceva-side-effect-busters-5/
Joined: May 2014
Thank you. I will.
Thank you. I will.