Anyone take 4AC + 4 Taxotere for the chemo?

SierraLam

My mom had Grade 3 tumor, 4 lymph nodes infected.  There are 3 tumors will sizes less than 1 cm.  Some doctors suggested her to have chemo "4AC + 4 Taxotere", taken every two weeks.  But in Hong Kong, in the public hospital, normally, 3-weeks dosage will be given.  Which one is better, 2 weeks or 3 weeks? Will there be any difference in the effectiveness? I hope she could live long life with us.  We love her.

LRM216

I am in the US, and I was originally scheduled for Double Dose AC every two weeks for a series of 4, and Double Dose Taxol every two weeks for a series of 4.  I have completed the AC and had the first Taxol two weeks ago, and was to have my 2nd today, but they put it off for another week as the neuropathy in my fingertips has not gotten any better since the first round and they fear they will disable my hands more by continuing the Taxol.  So, I will have Taxotere from now on instead, as it isn't supposed to be as bad at causing the neuropathy as Taxol.  Good luck with Mom, and she is very lucky to have you as a daughter!

Linda

PatriciaPrijatel

Sierra Lam:

TAC (the therapy your mom's docs suggest) has been found to be the most effective against triple negative, according to the March 2009 Journal of Clinical Oncology. So the docs are recommending the right drugs for her.  I have more information on this at:http://hormonenegative.blogspot.com/2009/03/tac-improves-disease-free-survival-for.html 

But, if she can do the two-week dose, research shows that is more successful than the three-week dose. According to 2006 research in the Journal of the American Medical Association, high-doses of cytoxan and adriamycin every two weeks plus taxol reduced the risk of death by 55 percent as compared with  low-doses of cytoxan and adriamycin plus fluorouracil every three weeks in women with hormone-negative cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes.  I have more info on this, plus a link to the research, at http://hormonenegative.blogspot.com/2007/12/reduce-recurrence-buzz-from-white-coats.html.

That 55 percent, though, can be confusing. It is a comparison, not an absolute number.  For example, say the women on the three-week regimen had a 20 percent chance of recurrence. The women on the two-week regimen cut that by 55 percent, so they have only an 11.5 percent chance of recurrence.   In that case, the difference would be between 20 percent and 11.5 percent. 

No matter what you choose, though, chemo in general is very successful against triple negative.  

What doctors can't measure, though, is the value of being loved and having the support of friends of family.  So having you on her side is excellent therapy.  

Make sure she takes care of her entire body and soul, as fighting this disease is a challenge that takes a multi-faceted approach.  Every woman is different and every woman's cancer is different.

And the payoff of this disease is learning how cherished you are.  I discovered that I was truly loved when I was diagnosed.  For the first time, my two brothers told me they loved me.  Wow.  The love of family and friends was amazing treatment for me, and learning how well I was loved was a real gift.

I will add your mom to my prayers.

Take care of her--and yourself. 

Pat 

SierraLam

Thank you very much for your reply. For your (positiveaboutnegative) messages, you've mentioned about taxol instead of taxotere. Do you mean that taxol is of the same effectiveness? As in our public hospital, dose dense (taking dose every two weeks) for taxol is allowed. If so, my mom may have this option then.

PatriciaPrijatel

SierraLam:

Taxol and taxotere are different, but closely related.  In some studies taxotere is the most aggressive.  However, the study that specifically evaluated the difference between doses every two weeks and every three weeks used taxol.  That does not mean it is the better drug--only that it was what was studied at the time.  Here's a comparison of the two: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Breast-Cancer/Taxol-versus-Taxotere/show/257702

Hope that helps.

Take care.

Pat