Cytoxan and Taxotere ?

irelandmb

Hi all, Just curious why I am not seeing many people talking about getting T and C like me?
Just wondering why I have only heard from one other person getting this treatment. Any ideas why?
Cheers.

bonny1963

I had 4 treatments with Cytoxin and Adriamycin and now I am doing 4 treaments of Taxotere. Are you taking yours together or how? I have had one Taxotere so far>

dash

I went with my sister in law to her first onc appt on Friday and he uses TC or CMF with his early stage patients--she's stage 2. She's waiting for him to crunch the numbers but if she needs chemo, she's going with 2 months of TC.

lisaelder1972

I had 4 DD adriamycin with cytoxan followed by 4 DD Taxotere.I have talked to some that get all 3 together.
Lisa

Sue227

I think it is a new option. I had a choice of TC or CMF, I picked CMF. I don't think there is a lot of info out there on it. When I was researching treatment options, I never saw anything about it. The first I heard of it was at my onc. office.
Sue

fd411

When I first met with the breast surgeon, he said I'd be getting T and C. When I saw the medical oncologist, he said Adriamycin as well, so I wound up with TAC.

Ferne

Kasey

I did Cytoxan and Taxotere. If you have any questions I'll try to answer them.

Hugs,
Kasey

ferq

I did TC also. I had 4 treatments which were given to me every 3 weeks. My onc mentioned AC to begin with then after she consulted with another doctor that is over a large cancer center she decided TC was best for me. ((hugs))

shirley58

I had 6 treatments of TAC, finished treatments last May,now going every 3- 4 months for scans...so far everything is stable...had scans yesterday, will be seeing the oncologist Tuesday.

Lynn12

I'm starting TC tomorrow...UGH! 6 treatments, 3 weeks apart. May 4th is my last.

I'm soooo scared!

irelandmb

Hi all, thanks for the responses. Yes, I agree I had not seen any real information about just getting TC, so that's what sparked my question. What my onc said was that this is proving to be a good treatment. I'm still waiting for PS to release me for treatment as I still have a slight area that has not healed fully after mastectomy.
IDC 1.6cm er/pr + HER-, node neg.
Kasey any information you can provide to help me prepare for this treatment would be appreacited.
Cheers for now.

Kasey

I didn't do too bad with the taxotere and cytoxan. I always took my anti-nausea meds on schedule and I never really got sick. I did get very tired and one of the worse side effects had to be the awful taste it left in my mouth. Of course you know you will lose your hair which is traumatic, at least is was for me. The good news is I now have a full head of thick, curly hair! If you have any more questions, let me know.
Hugs,
Kasey

irelandmb

Hi Kasey, thanks for those reassuring words. It's good to hear from someone who has already been there.
Cheers for now,

AggieFan0606

I also had 4 cycles of Taxotere and Cytoxan. I weathered it pretty well. I kept up on my nausea meds and never got sick. I worked out throughout my entire chemo. I had chemo on Friday and then resumed my workouts on Tuesday. A positive with this regimen is that Taxotere is not hard on your heart like AC. There is possible neuropathy effects though. I found out after that it is good to take L-Glutamine through your treatment. Get the powder kind at the health food store. I am taking it now but wished I would have started sooner. I have slight numbness in three of my fingertips on my right hand.
I finished the end of Sept. 06 and I also have a full head of curly hair. I get a lot of compliments on my "haircut"....HA!
Good luck to you....like people have said so many times on this site...it is "doable" and it will be behind you before you know it.
Mimi

sjoc

Mimi - I finished 4 cycles of TC the end of September also. I also have numbness with my three fingertips on the right hand - is the L-Glutamine helping with this? Also, you have full head of hair already?? Did you lose all your hair? I only have a shadow of hair on the top of my head, the back is covered but not enough to go without a scarf or hat. I'm starting to think I will never have a full head of hair again. HOpe you are feeling well.

AggieFan0606

Hi there,
I do think the L-Glutamine helps. I am also on a lot of other supplements (B Complex for the neuropathy) as well as a ton of other things (I hooked up with a naturopath as soon as I was diagnosed). My husband calls my plastic bin full of stuff "my pharmacy".
As for the hair....It is really short. I cut out the pictures from the Chicos ads over Christmas and my hair is about the length of the models in the ad. I have enough to spike out. I am kind of liking it and may just keep it short. I did use the shampoo Nioxin as soon as I ended chemo. Just rubbed it into my bald head. Not sure if my hair grew fast because of the supplements, shampoo or maybe my hair just grows fast. I am sure yours will be in soon....reading these boards it seems that women vary in the time their hair comes back. I do know I was SICK of the wig and scarf thing and went without several weeks ago. I got a few stares but just thought I would wear it as a badge of honor. Been to war and back.
Mimi

kwatson103

I just had my first treatment of TC and am experiencing severe headaches. I don't know if anyone else has had these. Let me know....I'm in a lot of pain and tylenol doesn't help. Thanks! Kathie

sjoc

Kathie - I also did TC and don't remember having headaches. In fact I was surprised at how good I felt after my first tmt. How's your blood pressure? This could be causing a severe headache, you should check it and call your MD if it is high. Hope you feel better soon. - Sandy

irelandmb

Thanks all for the great information about TC treatment. So glad to hear from others who have had this. Will get the L-glutamine and will also keep Nioxin in mind for after treatment. I'm sure I'll be needing it.
Cheers for now.....

nosurrender

Are you all getting the cytoxan/Taxotere for first time BC? And are any of you ER/PR Neg?

As far as the headaches, I had cytoxan five years ago and if the nurse runs the drip too fast during treatment, you can get a really bad headache. Ask them to slow down the Cytoxan and see if that helps. They also used to give me two tylenol right before that part of the infusion.

nosurrender

I am answering my own question here! I looked this combo up and there was this article- it sound very promising!


Taxotere-Cytoxan regimen also bestows a 24% improvement in overall survival, compared with Adriamycin-Cytoxan, Stephen Jones, M.D., medical director of US Oncology Research in Houston, reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

The study by Dr. Jones and colleagues included 1,016 women randomized between June 1997 and December 1999 to four adjuvant cycles of Adriamycin-Cytoxan (510 women) or Taxotere-Cytoxan (506 women), given IV every three weeks. Patients had Stage I, II, or operable Stage III invasive breast cancer and had complete surgical excision of the primary tumor.

All chemotherapy was administered before radiation therapy, if it was indicated. Tamoxifen was given to all patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer after chemotherapy.

Taxotere and Cytoxan "should now be considered a standard non-anthracycline adjuvant regimen for operable breast cancer," Dr. Jones said.

The finding came 30 years after Dr. Jones and colleagues published the first study establishing Adriamycin-Cytoxan as the standard treatment for women with advanced breast cancer.

But since then, he said, Taxotere has been shown to have greater anti-tumor activity than Adriamycin in women with metastatic breast cancer. So in 1997 he and colleagues began enrolling women in a randomized study comparing Adriamycin-Cytoxan and Taxotere-Cytoxan in earlier stages as well. Median follow-up is now 5.5 years.

The final analysis of that study shows:

* At five years, disease-free survival for Taxotere-Cytoxan was 86%, compared with 80% for Adriamycin-Cytoxan. The hazard ratio was 0.67, which was statistically significant at p=0.015

* Overall survival was 90% for Taxotere-Cytoxan, compared to 87% for Adriamycin-Cytoxan, with a hazard ratio of 0.76. The result wasn't statistically significant, although Dr. Jones said the improvement was "clearly a treatment effect" that would probably achieve significance with continued follow-up

"It's clearly a significantly better treatment than standard Adriamycin-Cytoxan," Dr. Jones said in an interview after his presentation. "I think this really becomes a new standard and for many patients can probably replace standard Adriamycin-Cytoxan."

The study conclusions held for all the subgroups in the study, he said, although some groups were too small to show statistical significance.

For instance, node-positive women had significantly better disease-free survival on Taxotere-Cytoxan, but the advantage was not significant for node-negative women, although the hazard ratios -- 0.67 and 0.73, respectively -- were not much different.

"It's a small study and in small studies, the hazard ratio gives you a rough idea of the magnitude of benefit," he said.

It is important to note that both estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (29%) and ER-positive (71%) women benefited almost equally, he added.

Although he did not present data backing this up, Dr. Jones said the Taxotere-Cytoxan combination poses less cardiac risk than Adriamycin-Cytoxan.

"We all have patients who get four courses of Adriamycin-Cytoxan and develop heart disturbances, which may be a problem for life," he said. "The nice thing about Taxotere-Cytoxan is it doesn't have that risk."

For patients who are older and more prone to develop heart problems in any case, he said, Taxotere-Cytoxan is now an attractive alternative.

Aside from the cardiac issue, the side effect profile was different between the two combinations: Patients getting Adriamycin-Cytoxan tended to have more nausea and vomiting, while those getting Taxotere-Cytoxan had more febrile neutropenia.
SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 12 - Adjuvant chemotherapy with Taxotere (docetaxel) and Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) delivers 33% better disease-free survival than the standard regimen of Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and Cytoxan, investigators reported here.
"The bottom line," he said, "is that we now have better and safer alternatives" to Adriamycin-Cytoxan.

The study was funded by Sanofi-Aventis, which markets Taxotere.
Complete SABCS Coverage

sjoc

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure why my onc chose TC instead TAC, he had discussed concerns with possible cardiac problems because I am overweight. I always had a little worry that maybe I wasn't going to have as good a chance for nonrecurrence without the adriamycin, but this article kind of calmed that worry. Thanks - Sandy

nosurrender

hi Sandy,
It calmed me too!
I had chemo five years ago and developed some blood clotting/cardiac problems from it. I may have to do chemo again, won't know until all the tests come back, but I have been searching for a good combo that won't affect the heart and this seems to be it.

How did you do on TC? I understand it is not as rough as A/C.

Thanks,
g

sjoc

I'm sorry you might have to start chemo again, when do you find out? I did TC, 4 cycles, 3 weeks apart. The fatigue was overwhelming. I did have the metallic taste and altered sense of taste from the taxotere. Also, my fingertips went numb. Most are ok now, still some tingling on my right hand. I finished chemo 4 months ago, so I'm hoping I might get rid of it entirely within the next few months. I had quite a few oral manifestations also that came and went in between cycles. I had neulasta the day after and that seemed to keep my counts ok. I hope things go well for you and that you don't have to start tmts again, but if you do, the TC really isn't so bad. My onc said that the TC combo is more heart friendly than TAC. He said that he didn't want to take the chance of congestive heart failure if I could avoid it. I have recently developed a heart murmur which was detected right before some surgery I had in December. I see my onc on Tuesday and will have to mention this to him then. I'll be saying a prayer that things turn out good for you, let me know how you are doing. - Sandy

nosurrender

Thank you so much Sandy.
I know it can take a few months for all the tingling and numbness to go away from the Taxotere. But it will go away.
I may have a regional recurrance- which means a new primary cancer in the "good breast"
It was sort of bound to happen because I was high risk and had a very aggressive cancer the first time. But having a new primary doesn't mean that my chemo didn't work five years ago. The chemo we take is to protect us from the cancer coming back to distant sites which would be metastatic disease. So my chemo has been good to me for the last five years... and I have nothing 100% yet... just some really bad looking sono's and mammo and PET on the good side. But they won't know until they take it out this week.

But I have been talking to my docs and they have to prepare me for the worst so they have told me that chemo would be necessary again if this is a return of the same kind of tumor I had the first time because it is very aggressive. I am also ER/PR neg which makes the cancer a little harder to control because we "negative girls" don't have any aftercare meds like Tamox or Arimidex.

I am glad to hear that this combo wasn't too rough on you! And you should remember that this stuff WORKS! I am ready to fight this Beast again if I have to... I beat it once I plan on beating it again!

Thank you for your prayer.

Love,g

sjoc

Hi g - It's good to see that you have a really positive outlook, I know how hard it is to keep good thoughts going. It must be even harder the second time around. I have an appt. tomorrow with my onc - 2 new lumps in my other breast. I had a mammo this past May, but the 1st tumor didn't show on a mammo, so a little panicky tonight. Saw your other post - Hope all you really have is a "fur ball". Keeping good thoughts for you. - Sandy

ghw123

Hello all,

I'm doing the Taxotere and Cytoxan (TC)regimen, 4 times, 3 weeks apart, just finished the 2nd one on 02/02/07. Would like to hear the side effects that others are going thru on this? And boy, did my hair come out fast, started on the 16th day and went swiftly.

ghw123
Georgia


IDC, Stage 1, tumor grade 3, 1.3 cm, lumpectomy, Mammosite radiation, now chemo.

MelanieW

Now I am curious if anyone else is having my treatment. I am doing 6 rounds 3 weeks apart of of Tax, Cytoxan, and Epirubicin...all together. My onco says the Epirubicin is showing really good results in Europe. I am trusting him as everyone I know, including my surgeon says he is one they would use. I had my first treatment this Tuesday, along with a MUGA and then the neulasta shot on Wed. I also developed a sinus infection on Wed. so I don't know if it is bringing me down or the treatment. I am assuming a bit of both. I also had a severe headache the first 3 days. I had a reaction to the Tax about 15 mins after it was administered. It felt like low back birth labor. Ouch! They turned it off, dosed me with benadryl again, then started it back slowly then building up. No problems after that.

BTW, I am ER-, Her2-, bilateral mast 1-3-07, 3 of 13 nodes were positive.

ghw123

Melanie,

My 02/02/07 treatment I had a Taxotere reaction. I felt like my face was getting all puffy and just a weird, strange feeling all over, also began to get a little nauseated. My husband alerted the nurse, she stopped it, and my onc came in, he had the nurse give me Benedryl, then started the Taxotere back slowly for awhile and then speeded it up. The nurse said my eyes had gotten bloodshot too. Benadryl really put me to sleep though. I don't know what made me better, the fact the Taxotere was stopped or the Benedryl was given, maybe both, but it was only a few minutes until I was feeling much better.
My first treatment I didn't have a reaction so I just thought they would all be smooth sailing. Oh well. Maybe our remaining treatments will be uneventful.

MelanieW

They might double dose you next time with benadryl. They seem to think that is what they would do with me. It put me to sleep also. I did get the neulasta shot the next day, came down with a sinus infection that night. They put me on antibiotics, the next day I had thrush...ugh...My counts were good today and the thrush is greatly improved. My doctor has his own pharmaceutical prescription for the thrush and it is so horrible. Thing is, I am actually getting used to it.

Hang in there girl...

ghw123

Melanie,
Those Neulasta shots must be pretty powerful. Yesterday I had my 10 day post-chemo blood check and my white cells were great! I know they're expensive, I got a bill the other day for almost $8000.00 for one shot. If it keeps my white cells up I'm not gonna complain. Well, not much anyway.
Have a good day,
Gayle