Carboplatin with Gemzar

Options
jeffntate
jeffntate Member Posts: 49

My wife has now completed her 4th Taxotere and the tumor is the same size.  She starts AC in 11 days (4x dose dense).  The medical oncologist told us that she had one patient that did not respond to Taxotere but the AC worked, and then had another patient whose tumor did not respond to Taxotere or AC and because she wanted breast conservation (lumptecomy) they tried her on Carboplatin and Gemzar.  This third cocktail then killed the tumor (shrunk to nothing).  I find that this third cocktail is typically done after the cancer metastatisizes but the "leading edge" indicates this may be more effective in triple negs.  Has anone done any research or had experience with Carboplatin and Gemzar?   The oncologist also mentioned doing this after surgery and if the tumor was still a significant size they would conceivably do the CG cocktail.  But then how would we know it did any good?  I'm thinking that if the AC doesn't shrink the tumor, then it would be best to go straight onto GC but not sure the body can take T  + AC + GC.  Thoughts?

Comments

  • FloridaLady
    FloridaLady Member Posts: 2,155
    edited September 2007

    I did GC with Avastan for 4 months (weekly) with very little sides effects except the usually. Gemzar hard on the blood and liver.  I with you it is usually done for mets...They add abraxanne for liver and bone mets.  The key is that she does not have mets (like myself) and this is the less toxic chemo that they know works with tripl negs.

  • Traci-----TripNeg
    Traci-----TripNeg Member Posts: 2,298
    edited September 2007

    Hi jeffntate,

    Sorry I can't help you. However, if you PM CTG, she is a wealth of knowledge.

    CTG, if you see this, I hope it is o.k. I gave your "name". I'm pretty sure you would answer yes to that.

    : ) Traci

  • TripleNeg
    TripleNeg Member Posts: 836
    edited September 2007

    Jeff-

    I took Carboplatin and it did wonders. After taking high doses of it for 4 months I was No Evidence of Disease (NED). I pray that your dear wife has the same results. Triple negative research shows that the cisplatins are the route to go for us. Triple negative is no longer a paradox; more and more women are having complete pathological responses to the cisplatin drug therapies. Are you at a teaching hospital or a Cancer Center? Also, ask if your wifes cases can be sent to the "tumor board" for  review of her medical case.  A Tumor Board is a group of  physicians and specialists who meet every week to review oncology cases presented to them and they give their collective opinions. Even if you aren't at a teaching hospital or a Cancer Center you can have your case reviewed by them. They're cutting edge in their approarches. God is able, Stephanie

  • LaurieL
    LaurieL Member Posts: 88
    edited September 2007

    Jeff,

    I did ACx2 and had no response - my tumor even got bigger.  Had the mastectomy and then he still wanted me to do 3-4 rounds of T.  Did one T x 1 - but my body didn't tolerate it so we pulled out the big guns and did C/G x 3 with 3 "little" cycles of G  in between there.  Both my onc and myself are pleasantly surprised I'm doing well.  I sometimes think about why didn't we do the G/C before mastectomy to ensure that it was doing something and not done for naught, but they didn't want me to wait as the tumor was getting bigger.  It wasn't fun, but it was doable.  It was tuff, but glad we approached is aggressively because I'm not sure I could do this again.  :)

    Stephanie - how are you doing these days?  Hope everything is stable with you!

    ~Laurie 

  • TINAMAE
    TINAMAE Member Posts: 106
    edited September 2007

    Hi, I am also triple negative and have had 3 ac my tumor has shrank from 4.5 to 2.4 after just 2 and now you cant even feel it at all.

     Thanks Tina

  • jin
    jin Member Posts: 17
    edited September 2007

    Can any one tell me about the tumors board?  I am here for my sister. She had CT today and mets to liver. She was dx on 2-07, trip neg, stage 3c, 23/25nodes. Poor girl had 4AC,4T and just finished 33 radiation last Mon and received this shucked news today. What is best treatment for her to try? Thanks for any idea.

  • Bimmer
    Bimmer Member Posts: 248
    edited September 2007

    Diane had a petscan both before and after taking carboplatin.

    The after-petscan showed that the carbo had knocked the disease down almost everywhere, except on her liver. The spots on her liver continued to grow while at the same time all her other mets were reduced, some reduced to nothing.

    I BS with one of her chemo nurses alot, he  and I like cars alot.

    He told me when she started taking carboplatin that his experience was that it may work, but only for so long..

    It did work, but after 18 weeks her cancer either learned the schedule or learned how to beat the carbo. Her cancer became chemo-resistant and after 18 weeks she was done with carboplatin.

    Cancer is now growing like wildfire. You can almost watch it grow.

    They have about run out of drugs to try...

  • TenderIsOurMight
    TenderIsOurMight Member Posts: 4,493
    edited March 2008



    Bimmer,



    We're behind Diane and you, thinking of you both ALL the time as you go through this soul-shaking pain. I am so sorry the drug isn't working.... We want you to know Diane and you are a part of us, and we weep for she and you.



    Tender

  • jin
    jin Member Posts: 17
    edited September 2007

    Bimmer: Thanks for your info. My sister has no intention to take any chemo treatment. The radiation may damaged her lumps since she had heavy dose. I heard one product "FUCOIDAN" made in Japan, can kill cancer cells only (Apoptosis). But it is so expensive. Have you any idea about it? If no drug is available for triple neg mets, we may try alternative now. Wish Diane feeling better and better.

    Jin

  • Pwaters765
    Pwaters765 Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2011

    Hi All,

    I have trip-neg and was just diagnosed with recurrence in the same side as mastectomy localized in the skin.  The Doc has started me on C&G, had my first round this past Monday and will have three more.  I am very scared and can't get my demise out of my mind.  I went through the first journey, chemo, mastectomy and radiation starting in April of 09, and was noticing little lumps around the skin of the left mastectomy site.........much to my dismay, here we go again.  I don't really know why I am writing, but everything I read on the internet about trip-neg sounds like a death sentence and I'm scared out of my mind.  To make matters worse, I have diagnosed in Feb 2010 with Dermatomyositis, which is an autoimmune disease affecting the skin and muscles.  So needless to say I am not going into this round with the health that I once had.  If anyone has any idea of where I can go for emothional support, I would be very grateful.

    Thank you very much for listening.

    Peggy

  • christina1961
    christina1961 Member Posts: 736
    edited April 2011

    Peggy,

    I'm so sorry you are going through this - I know I have seen people fight this twice on this forum somewhere - one lady is 7 years out from a second triple negative diagnosis - I honestly don't remember if it was a second primary or a local recurrence but you might want to post your situation as a new thread on the recurrence section in order to get more replies and support.  Please take care, and you are definitely in my thoughts.  Also, check out the nosurrender triple negative site- there is a forum there, too - many of the stats you read on the internet are older and we are all individuals, too -

     I have a friend who had leukemia long ago -  treated once, then it recurred 1.5 years later. He was given a 30% chance - that was 20 years ago.

  • Pwaters765
    Pwaters765 Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2011

    Thank you Christina for all your thoughts, it is very uplifting and I will check out the triple negative site. 

    I really appreciate your time.

  • twinkied
    twinkied Member Posts: 28
    edited April 2011

    There is a website just for t. neg.  It is tnbcfoundation.org.  They have a discussion board and loads of information just on t. neg.   I was diagnosed in May 2010 and also again in Oct 2010 both of them tn.  Hang in there, you can do it!!!

Categories