What is the longest anyone can have chemo???

John Char
John Char Member Posts: 30
in Esophageal Cancer #1

What is the longest anybody ever had chemo? My husbands doctor told us today he is going to take chemo permanently. How  can you keep putting poison in your body? Should he do this? he don't know what to do? 

Comments

  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,391 Member
    #2
    There are a number of people here on "indefinate" chemotherapy

    Most chemotherapy with a “curative” intent uses multiple chemotherapy drugs and has a definite timeframe. They have a timeframe because after a number of infusions the negative side effects become so pronounced that they begin to negatively affect the survivor’s quality of life.

    However, some Stage IV survivors who are under “palliative” care take a reduced level of the chemotherapy drug to keep the cancer from growing or spreading. For these folks, cancer is treated like a chronic disease. One drug that is commonly used in this form is  Xeloda. When used in this form Xeloda is typically administered in tablet form multiple times a day.

     Did your husband’s oncologist indicate what chemotherapy drug he intended to use?

    Best Regards,

    Paul

  • John Char
    John Char Member Posts: 30
    #3
    paul61 said:

    There are a number of people here on "indefinate" chemotherapy

    Most chemotherapy with a “curative” intent uses multiple chemotherapy drugs and has a definite timeframe. They have a timeframe because after a number of infusions the negative side effects become so pronounced that they begin to negatively affect the survivor’s quality of life.

    However, some Stage IV survivors who are under “palliative” care take a reduced level of the chemotherapy drug to keep the cancer from growing or spreading. For these folks, cancer is treated like a chronic disease. One drug that is commonly used in this form is  Xeloda. When used in this form Xeloda is typically administered in tablet form multiple times a day.

     Did your husband’s oncologist indicate what chemotherapy drug he intended to use?

    Best Regards,

    Paul

    we don't ask enough

    we don't ask enough questions. He is scheduled for chemo at the cleveland clinic once every 3 weeks. Starts next Friday. He is going to take 6 pills a day every 12 hours. If his insurance will pay for it. It cost $4200 for 2 weeks. Should we get a second opinion with an other chemo doctor? 

  • Deathorglory
    Deathorglory Member Posts: 364 Member
    #4
    32 months and counting

    Hello,

     

    I've been getting herceptin every Tuesday since November 2011.  Initially, I received folfox every two weeks also (12 rounds).  At first, the herceptin was used to hopefully increase the effectiveness of the folfox at killing the cancer (recurrence in lung).  That worked out well, and my doctor and I decided to continue the herceptin in an effort to ward off further recurrences.  We discuss discontinuing it every now and then, but ultimately neither of us wants to fix something that's not broken.  Herceptin is pretty mild as far as side effects go.  You guys are likely looking at more serious side effects to consider.  

    Unfortunately, cancer will frequently put folks in a position of having to make difficult decisions with no clear best option.  Sometimes there's no good option at all.  My suggestion is that you guys figure out what you believe will work best for you and focus on what's important to you.  These are extremely personal decisions (it's not life and death for co-workers or Aunt Mabel), so I suggest you not concern yourselves with the opinions of folks outside your immediate family.

     

    Wishing you the besst,

     

    Ed

  • John Char
    John Char Member Posts: 30
    #5
    Deathorglory said:

    32 months and counting

    Hello,

     

    I've been getting herceptin every Tuesday since November 2011.  Initially, I received folfox every two weeks also (12 rounds).  At first, the herceptin was used to hopefully increase the effectiveness of the folfox at killing the cancer (recurrence in lung).  That worked out well, and my doctor and I decided to continue the herceptin in an effort to ward off further recurrences.  We discuss discontinuing it every now and then, but ultimately neither of us wants to fix something that's not broken.  Herceptin is pretty mild as far as side effects go.  You guys are likely looking at more serious side effects to consider.  

    Unfortunately, cancer will frequently put folks in a position of having to make difficult decisions with no clear best option.  Sometimes there's no good option at all.  My suggestion is that you guys figure out what you believe will work best for you and focus on what's important to you.  These are extremely personal decisions (it's not life and death for co-workers or Aunt Mabel), so I suggest you not concern yourselves with the opinions of folks outside your immediate family.

     

    Wishing you the besst,

     

    Ed

    We have never even been

    We have never even been around someone going through cancer. It's all new to us. Friday he is supose to start chemo that's all we know. We don't know what kind of chemo to know anything. The doctor ask if we have any questions. Last time we saw this doctor he said my husband only had 2 months to live. The radiation doctor said he would have longer than that if he didn't get treatment. so we are afraid to ask how long. how long will he live with chemo and how long will he live without. Do we really want to know???

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