taxol side effects

Hi Theresa,

I think these symptoms are pretty normal for Taxol.  The all over body pain is your "bones" trying reproduce you new blood cells, that the chemo is killing off very fast right now. (tx 3 for me it started on Taxotere) I also think it is just plain stress of treatment.  Have you tried walking a little each day...it helped me.  I remember climbing the stairs at work and thinking I just climbed Mt Everest. My legs hurt so bad.

Important Reminder!  Take your temperature regular.  If it goes up more than 101 and stays there couple of hours you could have a low grade infection, your body maybe trying to fight it off.  If I had body aches and temp doctor would give me antibiotics fast!

Living in Hope,

Flalady

hi i to am on weekly taxol and also have a lot of bone and joint pain with a few other side effects i started taking one and half of my perocets at a time instead of one its helped some but not much i am usually out of it on days 3 4 and five only gives me 2 good days a week and that scks but ill hang in there to see if this chemo helps my liver mets and bone mets ill be praying for you and remember god loves you  love deb from ky

After chemo in 2005  (a/c then taxol) I seemed to have one thing after another, related to joint and tendon issues.  During the next year I tore a knee cartilege (surgery), developed arthritis in my lower back, developed two trigger fingers that had to be released surgically, and got an awful case of tennis elbow that I had to have physical therapy on.  Oh, yes, and two separate ganglion cycsts, one of them had to be removed surgically.  You can't tell me that it was all coincidence!  Also, for the year afterward, I had leg pain when I lay down at night.  It just beat me up! 

Funny thing was, while I was in chemo, I kept saying that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It just seemed to be the gift that kept on giving!

It's been awhile since I've emailed.  Just had my 7th taxol w/avastin.  I think the more taxol that gets into the body the more tired I get. Had tx on Monday. Tuesday felt good.  The rest of the week has been a little rocky.  I am now getting some joint pain and my thumbnails are acting up when I get up in the morning.  As the day progresses my nails are better.  I guess I should just be happy that I actually can get up in the morning (this morning I was late!). Kids almost missed the bus.  I am hoping things get better as the treatments get fewer...I am hanging in there hoping for sunny days!

Carolyn

Carolyn and Teresa,

Which Taxol are you taking? and how frequent are your shots?

I have completed my 8th Paclitaxel (weekly) with Avastin (every 3 weeks) and was wondering if either of you have experienced a red rash  on your hands/arms (does not itch)?

smiles

Deb,

My feet have some white and raised toenails, think also infected. I am on antibiotics.

The red rash on the top of both of my hands/wrist/arm feel like a sunburn and hot to the touch. I am rubbing chamomile tea on the rash several times a day and it is drying the rash, nothing else has worked. Rash started after my 4th Taxol and my feet problems 1.5 weeks ago.

I am trying to determine if both SE are from the paclitaxel or avastin or combo of both.

thanks for ur help

Teresa,

Thanks for your input, my onc also suspects that the combo of avastin/paclitaxel is causing the rash for the same reason as your onc. 

I started a thread for our clinical trial E5103 in the "help me get through treatment" to find more woman in this trial. Hoping we can help each other with SE's and support.

I will need to complete 12 pactax rounds weekly, missed last week due to feet (toenails infected) and red rash on both hands (pretty bad.) Doc said body needs a week off to recover!

I have completed 8 pactax rounds, started the week after the trial opened so I am on the front end of this trial.

Last round of Avastin/placebo scheduled for 04/18 and last pactax 05/02.

I just wanted to pipe up here...I am on Taxol, Avastin Zometa.  The avastin was approved for BC in Feb of this year.  My doc siad it is the "new gold standard" for trip negative BC mets.

Thank you to all the women who did the trials!!!

Deb C

Hi Femme,

I'm a bit surprised your oncologist didn't know that. As I say above, I am also part of a clinical trial, and they told me from the git-go to expect that SE. Isn't it fun when we can teach our physicians something? :-)

Hugs,

Annie

Annie,

My understanding is that Taxotere is known to give a rash in any cocktail. Teresa and I are taking Paclitaxel which is not know to give a rash. This is where the thought that the combination of Avastin with Paclitaxel is causing the rash. We do not know if we are receiving Avastin as is a double blind study, we can just assume.

Would be nice if we could hear from more woman participating in this trial to compare symptoms.

What trial are you participating?

thxks for your information

Hi Brena and Teresa,

I'm in a trial called B-40 (the name is longer, but that's the abbreviated form used on the files). It has six arms, and I was randomized into arm B1 that receives four rounds of Taxotere and Avastin, then rounds of A/C and Avastin. Then surgery and radiation, followed by yet more Avastin for a total of 13 months in all. Skin rash can indeed be associated with Avastin; please see the abstract for an article on that subject below:

Abstract:
Bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with intravenous 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy as first-line as well as second-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer improves survival. Although skin rash (type unspecified) has been described in some patients following infusion of bevacizumab, it is not a common toxicity of bevacizumab, while acneiform rash occurs in more than 90% of patients who receive cetuximab (Erbitux), the severity of which appears to be predictive of response. We report a patient with colorectal cancer who developed a rash secondary to bevacizumab that correlated with response. A 40-year-old patient with stage IV colorectal cancer received FOLFOX-4 and bevacizumab, which he tolerated very well except for a skin rash related to bevacizumab. The rash cleared every time bevacizumab was eliminated from the chemotherapy regimen. When use of bevacizumab was resumed, similar rash reappeared. Therefore, we believe that this observation of the rash emergence was linked to bevacizumab administration. The most common toxicities associated with bevacizumab include hypertension, hemorrhage, gastrointestinal perforation, arterial thromboembolism, wound healing and proteinuria. Exfoliative dermatitis and a nonspecific rash have been reported with bevacizumab. This case report, we believe, is the first report of a possible correlation between a rash and a positive drug response associated with bevacizumab, and may initiate further investigation of similar observation.

I just hope we all get through this OK; I'm not feeling very sanguine today for some reason.

Hugs,

Annie

Annie - thank you for posting this!  I have a BAD acne rash and I am on Avastin.  It is comforting to think that may be an indication that it is WORKING!!! 

Hang in there

Deb C