2nd time in 14 months

cas145

Have been diagnosed with dcis under right arm where i had 16 negative node removed last March 06 will start treatment on monday of Carboplatin and Docetaxel. All other scans clear. Oncon not sure if this is a secondary or original primary.Any one else had these 2 drugs? Cas

janet11

You'll find that there are quite a few who hae been on that (Taxotere (docetaxel) and Carboplatin). I had 6 cycles of TCH (those two plus Herceptin) late last year. The main side effects that affected my life are the taste bud changes. My lifesaver (*grin*) was Biotene mouthwash: I rinsed FREQUENTLY when I got a disgusting taste in my mouth.

Look in these forums for TCH to see others who have had this.

All the best,
Janet

tos

Hi cas, what a bummer you have been dx again and so soon!
That is sure good the scans were all clear.

I was dx on the other side after 4 yrs, Surgeon and Onc call it a new primary but there seems to be some debate on this issue.
I am currently in tx w/the Taxotere but not the Carboplatin although I hear it is very good.

CalGal

Hi Cas -

I was also dx'd with a recurr 15 mos later, although when the lost mamm was found, my "recurr" (or missed tumor) was evident on the mamm only 12 mos later, but missed by the radiologist. I asked for a CT scan again (previously had been denied) and it showed more than I ever feared: liver mets and unrelated kidney cancer.

On my initial dx, I had bi-lat lump's (invasive bc and DCIS), SNB (all clear) and then 38x rad'tn on the invasive side.

On the recurr & mets, I did dose dense AC, then a break for radio-frequency ablation of my liver mets and then Carboplatin & Taxotere (as added precaution, since at this point, I had no evidence of disease). I'm NOT a medical professional, but did a lot of research, and for me, a BRCA1, trip neg with mets, I thought Carboplatin was a great choice ... and felt Taxotere was better for me than Taxol. (My HMO wanted to just give me Taxol). My onc had two women who had a very severed reaction to Taxotere (redness and peeling on their hands and feet that req'd hospitalization). I did NOT have that.

I felt worse on the AC, than the Taxotere & Carb., with the exception right at first, when I thought it was the new chemo combo, but was really a kidney stone making me feel terrible. But, having had so much chemo, the cumulative fatigue was worse.

As I had a break in-between the chemos, and my formerly long hair was very short and I'd moved up to going without a wig, I didn't want to start over being bald. I found a French study that showed that cold products (gel-filled caps, gloves and booties) could prevent hair loss under this chemo combo and prevent neuropothy and nail-lifting. It worked for me!

Best to you,

CalGal