Verzenio Users-When Did You Scan?

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DivineMrsM
DivineMrsM Member Posts: 9,620
edited November 2019 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

Brief history: mets to bones; chemo, lumpectomy, rads, then Arimidex from 2011 to 2019.

March 2019, progression to vertebrae. Started Aromasin and Ibrance. Scan at 4 months showed progression to another vertebrae.

So now I’ve been on Verzenio and Aromasin for almost two months. At what point should I scan? I hate to scan too soon because I’d like to give the Verzenio the chance to prove itself. Would you dare go six months? I have an onc appt next week for sort of no apparent reason other than to see how I’m doing on Verzenio (nausea, fatigue, controllable diarrhea). She’ll discuss scans then so I’m wondering what others experience has been.

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  • SchnauzerMom
    SchnauzerMom Member Posts: 374
    edited October 2019

    Began Verzenio in July,2018, after a scan had shown progression. I had a scan this past January which showed some improvement. Tumor markers (which have been reliable for me) went up last month. If markers stay up or rise in early November, then I'll have a scan. Hate them!! Don't have many options left after Verzenio,so I want to stay on it, poopy pants and all.

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  • DivineMrsM
    DivineMrsM Member Posts: 9,620
    edited October 2019

    Thanks, SM. So you did go about six months before scanning. I will ask the onc if I can do that. Don’t want to do it after three as that’d be December, not a time to deal with any of it if I can help it.


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  • SchnauzerMom
    SchnauzerMom Member Posts: 374
    edited November 2019

    Divine Mrs.M, that's what I would want to do, too. I think you can make a good case for giving Verzenio time to work before having a scan.

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  • AmyQ
    AmyQ Member Posts: 2,182
    edited November 2019

    Divine Mrs M...

    I had a scan after 9 months on Verzenio, by my choice. My oncologist wanted me to have a scan at 6 months, which was the beginning of summer, but I prefer to bury my head in the sand, enjoy my summer and all the trips we had scheduled so I delayed the scan until late September, after my last trip, son's wedding etc. Unfortunately Verzenio did zip. All it did was allow more progression in my bones and a small spot in my liver. I wasn't really surprised as my TM's were going up as was my night sweats and pain.

    I do hope it's much better for you.

    A

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  • DivineMrsM
    DivineMrsM Member Posts: 9,620
    edited November 2019

    Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experience.

    Follow up: saw the onc today and she is ok for me to go six months from beginning Verzenio to getting a scan since currently I'm dealing with bone only mets. I was happy with that and now dont have to go back till Feb/March of next year.


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  • Daniel86
    Daniel86 Member Posts: 271
    edited November 2019

    Divine, talking from a European point of view, it seems to me like the American tendency to scan every three months leads to switch therapies even for the smallest change when in fact we know it takes time for drugs like Ibrance and Verzenio to be effective. I would understand it more with chemo as that seems to be a hit or miss ordeal but not with targeted therapy. Bottom line if I were you, I'd lean towards a longer interval between scans.

    On a more specific note, what I dont understand about your onc's decision is why they kept you on Arimidex. As far as what I read and talking to doctors, it's actually the Aromatose Inhibitor that "fails", not Ibrance or Verzenio.

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  • Daniel86
    Daniel86 Member Posts: 271
    edited November 2019

    Divine, talking from a European point of view, it seems to me like the American tendency to scan every three months leads to switch therapies even for the smallest change when in fact we know it takes time for drugs like Ibrance and Verzenio to be effective. I would understand it more with chemo as that seems to be a hit or miss ordeal but not with targeted therapy. Bottom line if I were you, I'd lean towards a longer interval between scans.

    On a more specific note, what I dont understand about your onc's decision is why they kept you on Arimidex. As far as what I read and talking to doctors, it's actually the Aromatose Inhibitor that "fails", not Ibrance or Verzenio.

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  • Daniel86
    Daniel86 Member Posts: 271
    edited November 2019

    Divine, talking from a European point of view, it seems to me like the American tendency to scan every three months leads to switch therapies even for the smallest change when in fact we know it takes time for drugs like Ibrance and Verzenio to be effective. I would understand it more with chemo as that seems to be a hit or miss ordeal but not with targeted therapy. Bottom line if I were you, I'd lean towards a longer interval between scans.

    On a more specific note, what I dont understand about your onc's decision is why they kept you on Arimidex. As far as what I read and talking to doctors, it's actually the Aromatose Inhibitor that "fails", not Ibrance or Verzenio.

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  • Daniel86
    Daniel86 Member Posts: 271
    edited November 2019

    I dont understand why my comment gets deleted. Mods? I am giving it another try

    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    Divine, talking from a European point of view, it seems to me like the American tendency to scan every three months leads to switch therapies even for the smallest change when in fact we know it takes time for drugs like Ibrance and Verzenio to be effective. I would understand it more with chemo as that seems to be a hit or miss ordeal but not with targeted therapy. Bottom line if I were you, I'd lean towards a longer interval between scans.

    On a more specific note, what I dont understand about your onc's decision is why they kept you on Arimidex. As far as what I read and talking to doctors, it's actually the Aromatose Inhibitor that "fails", not Ibrance or Verzenio.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited November 2019

    Hey folks -- popping in here quick to post a test to figure out what's going on with Daniel's post deletions. Please disregard this post!

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  • DivineMrsM
    DivineMrsM Member Posts: 9,620
    edited November 2019

    Mods, Daniel ended up PMing me, so I think thats why the deleted posts,


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