Docetaxel

[Fight11]

My husband will be starting chemo Docetaxel? What can he expect? I’m getting very anxious feel as though options are getting smaller. Is this type of chemo usually effective? 🙏🏻🙏🏻😭😭💙💙. I asked the Oncologist how long he will be on it? His response was a long as we can. I thought the standard was 6 cycles. When done with chemo then what? He has been on Zytiga, Lynparza and Keytruda all have failed. 😭

[Schwah]

Have him drinkLots and lots of water the days before and after. And put his finger tips in ice and suck on ice chips. All really helps. Not that bad actually. Like the flu for a couple of days but not horrible flu. Worst days usually 3,4 after. Can’t speak to the efficacy.

Schwah

[Tall_Allen]

Did you look into any of the clinical trials I showed you 7 months ago?

[Fight11 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Yes I showed Dr Beltran!!! She suggested this. She said she wants to try to to fight this hard then go back to something else. Seen as though nothing has been working.

[Costarica1961]

Docetaxal did not work after 5 sessions. Although went onto cabataxal and carboplatin and did 12 and my psa went from 247 to single digits and holding steady, Mets show no new tumors for 4 mos and going strong. I hope Docetaxal works great suggestions above, all waa true for me.😊

[SeosamhM]

I'm so sorry to hear of the struggles, Fight11. Since your husband's disease process is specifically determined by the CDK12 mutation and treatments defy the established standard of care sequences for PCa, you may wish to repost this with a "CDK12" tag so that peer members can specifically chime in with their experiences.

I do not have the CDK12, but a significant question to the MO would be why they are choosing Docetaxel - a "taxane" chemo that seems to not have great results with CDK12. Why not carboplatin? - Joe

[Fight11]

When his genetic testing was taken Cdk12 had popped up. Evidently when they just did blood work to check for the mutations again for some reason it did not show up.

[Woodstock82]

At the upper right of this web page there is a Search field. Enter docetaxel there and click the magnifying-glass icon. You'll get links to many previous posts about experiences with docetaxel.

For example: healthunlocked.com/advanced...

[Metungboy]

Docetaxel for me was tolerable. I would much rather have docetaxel for 6 cycles than ADT.my tips for getting through it are to up your exercise a lot for the days before and after each dose.

Days 3,4 and 5 are the worst but I certainly felt a bit better if I walked even only a couple of hundred metres on those days.

The steroid given with the chemotherapy is necessary but for me made me mildly agitated and restless.

As I said before it is only for a few days not like the relentless assault of ADT.

[Fight11 in reply to Metungboy]

Did you take the steroid everyday!!! With the chemo. If no how did you take it?

[Metungboy in reply to Metungboy]

I did take the steroids every day. There were large doses given with the chemotherapy on day one and there were then tapering doses afterwards. I can't remember the exact regimen. On one of the cycles I tried to reduce the steroids because I didn't like the agitation and sleeplessness however I got crazy swelling of my legs. I didn't do it for the last two cycles just put up with the restlessness.