Hi, After failing 3 treatment regimens I'm now on Abraxane and desperately trying to get my mets under control. Has anyone taken this drug (it is very new -- just released 02.2005)? How is it working for you? Has anyone had a decrease in size or number of mets?

Hi Kalie...i'm very sorry to hear you have to go through this and i'm not familiar with Abraxane but from what i've read on the net it's certainly a promising new drug. Its done much better than Taxol and is doing well for mets. I certainly hope it will work for you. I imagine since it's such a new drug not too many people have had a chance to give it a try. I wish you all the best your treatment...keep us posted :)

Hi. Sorry to hear you've had such trouble. Hope this one works for you. Was wondering if one your previous meds was Xeloda. My Mom is now on that but it doesn't seem to be working. I keep wondering what might be next.

No, my past chemos were A/C and Navelbine, and I also participated in a phase I clinical trial for a kinase-inhibitor. What makes you say the Xeloda isn't working for your mom? Have her CT scans shown mixed response or no response? If so, insist her Drs switch her as soon as possible!! I've been fighting this thing for 3 years now (I'm 28) and if there's one thing I've learned it's that I have to be in control of my treatment b/c no Dr will ever look out for my life as well as I do. Sometimes the Drs want "to give it a few more wks" -- if I did that every time they suggested it I probably wouldn't be typing right now. What stage is your mom (if you don't mind me asking of course)? Is she estrogen and/or progesterone positive? HER-2 positive? Best wishes to you both.

How is your treatment going? So sorry to hear about what you are going through. YOur case sound similar to my mother's, she just started Abraxane as well. She was diganosed 2 1/2 years ago. The cancer went away for a few months (although I doubt it went away at all) but returned again in her spine and hip bones and part of her liver. She had done taxol before and Gemzar (sp?). Her first round of abraxane put her back in the hospital though. He blood counts were all really low and she had two transfusions while in there. My poor mother also had a heart attack at 47 and they have to closely monitor her heart because of the chemo. She had a lot of join pain, she said it was the worse pain of her life, worse than labor. Did you experience that? I hope you beat it this time around. I know we are hoping this is the chemo that works for my mom. Keep me posted on your progress.
Courtney

Hi Kalie...sorry so long to get back on here. My Mom was first diagnosed in 1996..had mastectomy, chemo and radiation. Was on tomoxifen for the 5 years and then nothing after that. She was cancer free (or so they say) until Jan '03 when they determined she had mets to the bones. Dr's put her on Arimidex and that worked for awhile. Then when that was no longer working they switched her to Xeloda. But she had bad reaction at that time so they put her on Taxotere. About 6 months of that and she was not responding so they've tried the Xeloda again but at a slightly lower dose than the first time. She did pretty well for a few months and now her cancer markers are back up and increase in the bone mets. In one of the routine CT scans they found problems with her kidney. She's having a stent put in tomorrow to see if they can open up her kidney. There are also suspicious problems with her lung and liver. It's so confusing to read the test reports what the radiologist finds and then get the Oncologists take on everything. Often times it's not the same. And my Mom is not always willing to try all the drugs...depends on what the side effects are. They mentioned the navilbene at one time but opted for taxotere. All this was going on at the same time my father was fighting prostate cancer. He passed away this past August. I have read and read all about both diseases and feel like I know just only enough to be dangerous.

Kalie

I am so sorry your clinical trial did not work out. I was praying for you and still am. I haven't been on the board for a while as I have been really ill with uncontrollable gastritis/acid reflux and on double strength meds which aren't helping and can't take anything for the Crohn's disease. I hope this drug works for you. So far they haven't found (or looked for) any mets on me from my breast cancer/mastectomy but sometimes i wonder because I have so many different medical problems and no one seems to know what is going on. They are assuming my bones are hurting because of my severe osteoporosis. My PCP uses a nurse practicioner as she wants to specialize in pulmonary so I can't even see her and any doc that is supposed to be any good is not taking new patients. I do have a gastro doc who is not listening to me and it is the same thing---try to find another one! I do have an oncologist who I see every 6 to 8 months but he did not suggest any testing back in January. No one wants me anyway because of my drug related allergies---even dentists because of the balsam of peru and carba mix allergy. Every day I get a new medical problem or the ones I have already get worse. Since I am allergic to nuclear medicine dye (radioactive isotopes) and CT Scan dye (iodine, I believe) they are reluctant to have me undergo tests. Even an upper endoscopy (which I should have) is risky as the carba mix is in endoscopes and every other thing in the hospital....ports on IV tubing, catheters, rubber stoppers in medication vials, etc., etc. Had a MRI with gad once but I usually get sensitized the first time and the next time I have the dye I get an allergic reaction. I am also now (as of last year) allergic to the Prednisolone topical cortisone group so they are afraid I am allergic to oral Prednisone now also which they at least could give you to counteract a CT Scan dye reaction. I now have a 2 page allergy/adverse reaction list).

You inspire me and when i feel I don't know if I can go on like this I think of you and your attitude and want to be like you.

Bless you and keep on writing. You are keeping me going......................

Suggi

Kalie

I just read about Herceptin which works wonders on HER 2 positive breast cancer mets. I can't remember what type cancer you have. Hope this info helps. I really hope you are doing better on your present treatment.

Best,
Suggi

Kalie--Firstly, I admire your strength and wish you the best with all your treatments.

I lost my mother to metastatic breast cancer (to the brain...but also present in the bones, lungs and on the skin) in January, so I can truly sympathize with your situation. She was first diagnosed in November 1998, and the first time it returned it was in 2001...September 11th (and I lived in NYC at the time...another story). She fought hard and was on so many drugs/chemos: doxorubicin and cycolphosphamide (A/C), Navelbine, taxol, taxotere, femara, Aredia, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP), morphine...I could go on and on. She also had radiation and spinal fusion surgery. She really suffered, but through it all it was up to our family to manage her medical care....and that is exactly what we did up until the very end. She survived substantially longer than she would have if we left it up to her doctor, and we are so grateful!

Kudos to you for realizing this. Doctors have many hidden agendas (pharmaceutical kickbacks, too many patients, long hours, etc...).

Know you are in my thoughts and prayers. I will keep looking to see how you're doing! :)

Please someone........tell me what to expect with this Abraxane. It is wreaking terrible sides on me. This is my fourth bout with cancer and I think this is the worst. Can anyone help me? Thank you. Lora