Why 12 weeks of Taxol?

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GinaDexter1982
GinaDexter1982 Member Posts: 29
edited July 2017 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Hi everybody,

My mom had a question for me this afternoon that I couldn't answer and poking around on the internet turned up with nothing. She's going into her 10th week of Paclitaxol and she was wondering why it was the full course of treatment was exactly TWELVE standard doses rather than 10 or eight or whatever. From what I understand 12 standard doses offers better chances and doesn't beat the patient up as much as eight doses of dose dense chemotherapy does but why twelve? Why that number? She also hasn't had Adriamyacin, she turned that treatment down due to the lasting side effects.

Thanks. :)

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  • Legomaster225
    Legomaster225 Member Posts: 672
    edited July 2017

    My guess is because 12 weeks is 3 months and makes a nice reference point. Just a thought.

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  • Hopeful82014
    Hopeful82014 Member Posts: 3,480
    edited July 2017

    My guess would be that 12 weeks was the duration settled on in the course of clinical trials as being sufficient but not overkill. It would be a good question to run by her MO and see if any of our guesses are anywhere close to right. ;)

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  • theantz
    theantz Member Posts: 30
    edited July 2017

    On the other hand, which is preferred ? Docitaxel (once every 3 weeks ) or Paclitaxel ( every week ) ? ?

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited July 2017

    I had done 4 DD A/C neoadjuvant. I was given 3 different adjuvant options to pick. The one that was recommended by Dr T, the Board at the Facility and the Boards at other Facilities he was on was 12 weekly Taxol. So, that's what I went with. (I don't remember what the other 2 options were.) As I remember, the 12 weekly infusions were to maintain a more constant level of TX. I had major issues with EXHAUSTION throughout Taxol. I saw Dr T before my 10th Taxol and 'complained' about how exhausted I was. He told me that the so far Taxol had done about 85% of what it could do if I finished the 12. So it was up to me rather or not I wanted to finish or not and he was putting in an order to that effect. Well, as I had already done 9 and had only 3 more to do to get the optimum from it - there was no way I was going to be a quitter - so I finished. Never have regreted doing all I could. IF I had stopped before doing all I could, how could I have told Hubby and Son IF something came back or mets developed because I had chosen to not do all I could have done. Of course, there are no guarantees as to what the future holds.

    (I had no lasting SE from Adriamycin. I was 63 at the time of infusions.)

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