Port placement and chemo questions

Sarah_78

Hi everyone,

Post question

I am supposed to start chemo next week, which is TCHP for 6 cycles each 3 weeks.

This Thursday my onc will place a port. I opted to sleep during it, better for my anxiety. I had a port placed back in 2011 when i was going through treatment for Hodgkin's. Back then I got it placed in another hospital, I vaguely remember it had something to do with having no X-Ray at operation room so I was worried about what happens when we do X-Ray after the operation and they see it is placed wrong. I need another operation?

So I sent my onc an e-mail and asked "Do you have X-Ray in operation room". He answered "No because X-Ray then only pick up operation desk."

I am in no means expert in this area but worried now, I know they do X-Ray after placing in some hospitals and close the area later. Any help here would be appreciated.

Chemo question

About chemo, I find some trials to replace TCHP with wPCbTP, for example:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34086171/

This is the same regime but with Taxol instead of Taxorene. I am worried about permanent hair loss and lower blood counts during corona times and seems like weekly administration of Taxon might be a good alternative for it.

Again asked onc, he says "possible but it is not the protocol".

Anyone who had this or will be having it?

Thank you for all your help as always.

Sarah

Melbo

they did the x-Ray for my port placement in the recovery room after surgery. I’m not sure what they would have done if it wasn’t placed correctly, but the x-Ray at that time seemed liked standard procedure. I also went straight from recovery to my first session of TCHP, which also happens occasionally, so I’m guessing the port placement surgery generally goes fine.

As for TCHP, the chance of permanent hair loss is very small — something like 5%. Yes it could happen, but it’s not really likely. I also never had major issues with my blood work during TCHP, not enough to ever delay treatment or cause problems. I also did not get neulasta shots as part of my protocol. I only knew they were a thing because of the chemo group I participated in here

Sarah_78

For permanent hair loss I read something about 15% which got me worried.

Since I got 4 cycles ABVD for Hodgkin's before this, my doctor was thinking I might need neulasta shots this time around, since bone marrow might have been affected from it. Then he mentioned about weekly administration, which was supposed to be better for the counts but more work to go to hospital weekly as opposed to every three weeks.

I am trying to also find a doctor for a second opinion, spent the evening on the phone waiting, couldn't reach anyone yet *sigh*