Please tell me -- does Avastin cause hair loss?

Annette,

As far as you know, right now you are NED.  The problem is that you had a highly aggressive cancer (as do I) and you don't know if a stray cancer cell is floating around somewhere looking for a home. 

If I was in your bra (which I can't be because bilaterals left me blissfully flat), I would be doing anything I could that might stop a recurrence.  As a triple negative, you have only the options of surgery, radiation and chemo open to you if a recurrence happens. 

If the Avastin is not causing you a lot of problems, I would stay on it.  In the long run, what is hair (and yes, I agree the loss of it is the most soul sucking aspect of chemo) in comparison to a life that is NED?

Mary Jo (who is sweating out her doctor's appointment tomorrow to get the results of her quarterly testing and scan)

Hi Annie,

Here is an article in the NY Times about Avastin. You may find it interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/health/06avastin.html

Best to you, Ixia 

Annie,

According to the literature i was given by my onc it states that tumors shrink more often than with chemo alone, cancer was kept from growing for alonger time compared to those receiving chemo alone, People who received Avastin lived longer than than receiving chemo alone.  Avastin is not a chemo it is an "antiogeneses which stop the blood flow through the new vessels making any new tumors that might form helping starve the tumor.

Common Side effects are: Minor nose bleeds noted in clinical trial, usually stopping on their own or by holding a tissue to the nose, call doctor is you feel dizzy or faint or if bleeding doss't stop after 10-15 minutes.; Hypertension, standard oral medication were used to manage HPB, tell doctor if you've had HBP in the past; Proteinuria (too much protein in urine, detected by blood test); orther side effect included weakness, pain, diarrhea, and luekopenia (a reduced white blood cell count.

Serious side effect are:  in clinical trials for colon cancer there was a small percentage of people treated with Avastin in combination with chemo who experienced serious side effects, including gastrointestinal perforation (2%) and slow or incomplete wound healing (1%) and in rare cases, these side effects were fatal.

I have not read anywhere that suggest that Avastin causes hair loss, but can not say for sure because I have not read everything on the drug.

Annie,

Everything came back AOK today at the doctor's office.  My next round of follow up testing will put me two months shy of the magic two year mark for us HER2+ and trip neg gals.

Heather

My wife doctor who is generally considered the leading expert on IBC is a strong supporter of Avastin.  My wife was on avastin plus chemo for 27 weeks, when her MUGA dropped to 27% (heart scan with left ventricle ejection factor) this is Congestive Heart Failure.   He took her off Avastin saying that is what caused it.  He does belirve that Avastin did stop her progression till he could get the right mix of chemo's to start killing the cancer.  On Avastin her hair did start to grow back once she got off TAC. He also credits Avastin for help bringing her CTC (tumor cells that circulate in blood down from over 150 to 0.  So Avastinn good and bad.  So if you stay on it, ask for MUGA if you are not already being monitored and CTC count to be done with your normal blood work periodically.

Good to hear you are having such good progress.