Is this false hope? - Cancer: Lung Message Board

carol1961 · 10-29-2007, 06:51 PM

Hi...never got a response from ayone who had an experience w/ Topetecan(sp?) as secondary chemo after first round failed...DR. Made us feel that it would not "probably work" since first round of 2 preferred chemo drugs" resulted in growth of cancer...not remission...Mom finished first round of Topotecan (5 days) about 10 days ago...has been her old self...energized ...these past 5 days...except for today...started getting very chilled...weaker...going for blood count tomorrow...such a roller coaster...any experience w/ this chemo would be a great help...thanks in advance...as i read the messages...i feel that i am no longer alone...

thanks for that!

HELLASRULES · 10-31-2007, 08:23 AM

Hi Carol
I've been treated for lung cancer since last December. I haven't heard of the chemo drug topetecan. Is it an experimental drug being used in clinical trials?
What type of cancer does your mother have? Small cell or Non-small cell? What stage?
I hope you mother is feeling better and those flu-like symptoms have subsided. I get them with the chemo drug I am on, but they only last a couple of days at most.
Faith

carol1961 · 10-31-2007, 07:28 PM

She has small cell cancer...I posted earlier with all the details...not experimental....just a chemo they use after remission and relapse...she had neither,,,just no positive response...thanks for answering...means a lot...I have read what you have been dealing with...and my thoughts and prayers are with you always...with everything you are dealing with personally...meant a lot you responded...thanks...be well...Carol

Janmarie2 · 11-01-2007, 11:53 AM

Carol.

If I remember correct Kim's husband Stan had been on Topetecan and I do believe it is one of the few chemo agents that can cross the blood brain barrier.My mom had nsclc so that was not a chemo offered her.

I will say for anyone on chemo do watch out for weakness, chills, fevers ( even low grade ones) as these could be signs of a pneumonia or urinary tract infection that can get bad very fast and be deadly.My mom had both at the same time following her first line chemo, she should have been feeling better but wasn't and she had a low grade fever so I made the very reluctant doctors do tests which was not easy to do and she had both and the pneumonia was bad enough it showed as a total white out of the right lung on the x-ray.Moral of the story if you feel something is wrong fight for the tests to find out. JanMarie