Should I drop Adriamycin?

AmeliaPeabody

I'm on the TAC regimen, had my first chemo 10 days ago and I still feel really dreadful. Food tastes awful, stomach hurts, nausea, just feel really really rotten. My doctor says I'm sensitive and also that the A is just very toxic. Ugh. I hate this. She also says that research is showing that A will probably not be used fairly soon - that "the writing is on the wall" that doctors will soon not prescribe Adriamycin for chemo because the results don't outweigh the risks - but that she "can't quote the science yet" on it. She says I could stop the A and she'd support that. But it's my decision. What to do? I feel like a wimp too - lots of women seems to manage chemo beautifully but I feel really gross. Thank you for reading me. (I also have a blog if you are interested: http://amyjeanineadams.blogspot.com/?m=1)

SelenaWolf

Talk to your MO and treatment team about how you are feeling before you have your next round. It could be that better management of your side effects could improve how you are feeling.

josgirl

AmeliaPeabody,

I couldn't find your diagnosis info so I can only offer my experience.  I am not exactly in your shoes but was strongly recommended to do AC/T and after exhaustive research and soul searching I decided to do T/C.  My reasons were more based on the long term risks of Adriamycin but from my experience I don't feel like science is going to 'go that' way anytime soon (course this depends on stage of cancer and oncotype testing which is changing the use of chemo).  A strong reason for me to continue with the AC/T is that having the three drugs is more comprehensive as each kills the cancer cell in a different way.  However, in the end, I choose to take risk in choosing the T/C treatment - about 7% difference in the risk of reoccurance from the best tools my onc had available.  However, I will take no further risk and plan on doing radiation, tamoxifan, and overhaul my lifestyle to do as much as I can to reduce my risk of reoccurance.  My cancer is grade 3 and I am 34 with a 2yr old and this scares the s!@# out of me but having the risk of leukemia and heart failure was just too much.  The choice is 100% personal and only you can make it.   I take the view that while an onc may strongly recommend the standard of care, I am an individual and have a role in the decision making process.  Not that oncs don't mean the very best but bottom line you are the one that has to deal with whatever the outcomes are of your treatment decisions.  There are a lot of strong feelings out there on this subject and for obvious reasons people feel very personally tied to their treatment choices.  You have to do what is right for you with what information you have and then once the decision is made try not to look back.  I got a lot of this advice when I was trying to make my decision and it really helped to listen to everyone and then take a deep breath and make the decision.  These boards are awesome and the ladies on it so helpful and selfless.

I will say that whatever these short term side effects you are feeling are just that - short term and there are a lot of other drugs out there to improve your quality of life as you go through chemo.  Not to minimize what you are feeling but look at your life in the long term and what that impact is of continuing the adriamycin.  Also everyone is different and every treatment is different - I sailed through 1&2 and had a terrible time of treatment 3.  Some women are the opposite.  Chemo's tough but so are you.  And as long as it seems when you are in it - the time does go by faster than expected.  I'm doing my final treatment next week.  Also look into acupuncture maybe...it helps me.

Best of luck! 

KBeee

You can do some internetbsearches on the TC vs TAC. On he west coast, oncologists seem to favor TC, on the east coast, they sem to favor the A. There are exceptions, of course. If your tumor is small and your recurrance score low, you are more likely to be able to drop the A without too much additional risk. I have a heart murmur and have heart disease in my family, so my MO fully supported TC instead of AC-T. At some point if you are too aggressive, the risks outweigh the benefits, if that makes sense. Good luck. Therenare no easy decisions, and we all understand that.