Anyone aborted chemo

jeffntate · September 2007

Hi,

My wife Karen had completed 4th Taxotere and was to begin AC on Wednesday, but when we met with all the doctors in the clinic they advised us to proceed to immediate mastectomy because the tumor was growing and was almost to the skin. They said if we waited any longer it could require skin grafting. While we had the option to contine with AC, they all advised immediate surgery. So she had that and had a bit of a rough time due to a hematoma and had to be reopened that same day to stop the bleeding. We get the biopsy results next week. Now they want to do 4 AC DD cycles, and perhaps 4 Gemzar/Carboplatin cycles then 6 weeks of radiation despite no metastatis indications on PET or CT Scan and no lymph nodes (5 tested, 3 sentinel) testing positive for cancer. Anyone had to abort chemo to proceed to immediate surgery? They measured the tumor to be 8 x 8 cm though on ultrasound it was 4.5 cm.

Thoughts?

FloridaLady · September 2007

Hi jeff,

I did have to stop chemo after 4 tx of dd ACT. I wish we had stop at two chemos when we knew it wasn't working. After surgery the report showed 25/27 nodes positive and it had met the skin. I did 33 rads and then it showed up in other breast and skin. I than had to complete 4 mths weekly Gemzar & Carbo with Avastan. It's still not gone. I have locally aggressive disease. If you like see my post on Good/Bad Rads. I would ask a lot of questions about rads. Your wife has to get through a lot of chemo and rads after might be too much to soon. They can always do rads later.

Hopefully the surgery got out all the cancer and more chemo is a back up plan. AC is the hardest chemo. But I found Gemzar and Carbo not so bad. Hopefully they give her a rest before starting each new cycle.

One day at a time while in treatment.

Living in hope

FlaLady

TenderIsOurMight · September 2007

Dear Jeff and FlaLady,

Jeff, I am so sorry for Kate and your recent troubles. I read your post, and wonder if this may help.

While I personally do not have triple negative breast cancer, I've been waiting for an opportunity to post on chemotherapy and cancer cells resistance. This appears an appropriate time and perhaps may help you both.

Cancer cells can and do acquire resistance to both hormonal agents used in hormone positive patients, as well as to some chemotherapy agents. This is reinforced by a specific gene/protein called the multi-drug resistance gene and protein. The presence of this protein results in creation of a "pump" within the cancer cell, which then proceeds to pump the chemotherapy drug out of the cell. This prohibits cell death. This is a rather simplistic description of MDR, yet it suffices.

Curcumin, derived from the plant curcumin longa has long been used medicinally. More recently, it has shown itself as rather effective in blocking the MDR gene/protein complex. While many other compounds are in the works which do this, Curcumin is one of the more natural agents widely available. Clinical studies are in the works on it due to it's efficacy, particularly with reversing skin involvement. It's downside are gastrointestinal effects (not advised in biliary problems) and it's potential to interact with other drugs through our liver enzyme CYP (pronounced sip) metabolism.

Perhaps your physicians may consider Curcumin in promoting less resistance while undergoing chemotherapy. Much is available w.r.t.writings on it, and I post just two of interests to give you the basics:

2007: Curcumin reverses breast tumor exosomes mediated immune suppression of NK cell tumor cytotoxicity

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17555831&ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

2005: Curcumin selectively induces apoptosis....

http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/280/20/20059

2002: In Response: Dietary Curcumin inhibits...

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/63/16/5165

Herbs and Cancer: Curcumin http://www.alternativehealth.co.nz/cancer/herbs/curcimin.htm

The more I live with breast cancer as well as read, the more I value open mindedness in cancer therapy. Curcumin may just complement nicely the science of chemotherapy.

I'll continue to keep you both in my thoughts, especially Kate just now.

Tender

Edit addendum: Just read more about the oral absorption of Curcumin. It takes 6 to 8 grams of 66% pure Curcumin to get a very low blood level, if any at all, as most of the Curcumin doesn't past the gut wall. So.... researchers are going to have to determine a better method to obtain blood levels for Curcumin to be of real benefit. Will post more if necessary after a new paper comes in from M.D. Anderson Hospital researchers.

LaurieL · September 2007

Jeff,

It seems that Karen and myself are alike. I only did 2 rounds of AC and because my tumor was not shrinking, in fact the day after an MRI showed it was indeed growing, I was whisked off for a mastectomy the next day. I too, also was bleeding on the inside after surgery and they had to go back in and I ended up getting 3 units of blood. After surgery, I tried Taxotore, but didn't do well on that so I finished with 3 rounds of Gemzar and Cisplatin and 3 rounds of Gemzar by itself. My sentinel node was positive, but the remaining 21 were negative. They even had me do the 33 rads. I thought it would be never ending, actually asking my husband to shoot me and put me out of my misery, but here I am, it will be a year in November I was done with chemo, finished rads on 1/3 and am doing fine. I have some SE from chemo and rads, but I just need to get them fine tuned.

Hang in there. It's tough. Tougher than tough. Never thought I'd live thru it but now here I am letting other folks now it is doable.

God Bless and take care...both YOU and your wife Karen.

Laurie

Anyone aborted chemo

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