Lower Dose Weekly Taxol w/o Neulasta

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kar123
kar123 Member Posts: 273
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

Hi All,

I just saw this study on BCO and oh what I would have given to have had the lower dose of Taxol without that evil Neulasta shot.  I even begged the onc at the end that since my white blood cell count was so good couldn't I please not have to have a last one.  No such luck!  Hope this works well for the girls coming up!

http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/20130612-3

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  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 1,056
    edited June 2013

    My Onc did not give me Neulasta with DD Taxol--only with the DD A/C--and I think it was a mistake. I went into neutropenia between the 3rd and 4th treatments, ending up with severe diarrhea and some vomiting.

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  • kar123
    kar123 Member Posts: 273
    edited June 2013

    I think with DD they have to or should give the Neulasta.  It sounds like a benefit of lower dose weekly Taxol is that they don't need to.  Maybe the lower dose doesn't lower the WBC as much.  Neulasta is a great medication, but the side effects, at least for me, were dreadful.  It was a necessary evil.

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  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited June 2013

    I had weekly taxols and no neulasta. mine went fine. I became a hermit though. my world was pretty small

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited June 2013

    I had Neulasta with my 4 neoadjuvant DD A/Cs.  It wasn't bad at all - for me.  The only SE I had was different than any other I've heard.  Also 2 hrs to the minute after injection I would go to sleep for 2 hrs.  I did 12 weekly adjuvant Taxol and did not have Neulasta with it and did fine.

    I've always been one who caught every 'cold' running around and LOTS  of sinus infections but since on chemo (A/C Aug. 09 -  Oct 09; Taxol Nov 09 - Feb 10) I have had no 'colds' while on them or since and I was not nor have been a 'hermit' at all.  Since the end of chemo, I have had 2 very minor sinus infections - definately what I had experienced all of my earlier life.

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  • Morwenna
    Morwenna Member Posts: 1,063
    edited June 2013

    I had four 3-week cycles of AC, and this week I will have my 12th of 12 weekly doses of Taxol (Paclitaxel).



    My WBC counts have stayed good, only a couple of times dropping below the normal level. I never had a neulasta shot, although it was mentioned at the beginning that it was frequently necessary on AC.



    On AC my main bad se was thrombo-emboli, leg and lungs, and on Taxol dose #10 was delayed for a week due to my reporting stomach cramps and diarrhea.



    I felt fine after my week off, so I'm hoping to bounce back real quick after I finish this week! ...... and then I have rads to look forward to! "_"

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  • kar123
    kar123 Member Posts: 273
    edited June 2013

    Your stories are confirming the results of this study.  I had the dose dense taxol and they required neulasta.  Good part was I was done the 4 treatments in 8 weeks and not 12 weeks.  Bad part was the neulasta had me curled in a fetal position with joint pain.  It did it's job and for than I am grateful, but if I could have stretched out the treatments and avoided the neulasta knowing what I know now, I think I would have.

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