Hi everyone,
Can anyone advise me about Avastin and the criteria for having it in the UK for first line treatment for stage 3 ovarian cancer along with pacletaxel and carboplatin. I am sure I had read on line that it was to become available for first line treatment, but I now cant find the information anywhere on line
Many thanks for anyone who may know about this and can reply
Regards
Ann
Hi ann, I was diagnosed end may/June 2017, had op then Oct started on carbo/taxol, at dose 4 avastin was added and I carried on with it til sept 2018 but ca was rising, so stopped, scanned and found to have liver mets so now back on carbo/taxol again. So in essence I am sure you will be offered it first line, good luck!! Joanie
Dear Crafty,
Please check out the posts after yours ( above yours).
Carbo/ Taxol are the big guns offered in First Line treatment.
They will knock you out, but they will destroy your cancer while they are doing it.
You don’t need to add Avastin to the side effects you will already be enduring.
If you are all clear at the end if treatment, you can see what’s on offer then. Suggest you look at the side effects of everything.
Best of luck in all your treatment regimens.
Laura
I was diagnosed stage 3 March 2017 had Carbo/taxol/Avastin as part of a trial been 17 months NED . I had a lot of aches and pains due to the Avastin but in my case worth it , I would recommend Avastin if you can get it, I wish you all the best xx
Hi. The criteria might have changed, but when I had it in 2017, there had to be a certain amount of disease still present on the post op scan.
Jenny
That was the same in 2016, I was not able to access it as I was optimally debulked with no visible disease, I had carbo taxol.
Wishing you all the very best. Xxx
Hi Ann,
I am in Colchester, Essex and had that combination 1st line and then was on Avastin only, I can’t remember how many weekly doses that was. It seemed to be keeping the cancer seeds from ‘germinating’ (it starves them of a blood supply).
At the end of the course I asked my Oncologist whether it would be a good thing to stay on it supposing I could self-fund (no real chance). He said, and this is a quote, “No Oncologist worthy of the name would keep you on it for longer because of the risk if bowel perforation”.
It is available from the Drug Fund and NOT direct from the NHS so ask your Oncologist about requesting it.
I don’t have info about the Drug Fund but I’m sure Google will find it 🙂
Good Luck on your journey,
Iris x
Hi Iris,
I also live in Colchester and go to the Mary Barron Suite for chemo, I had my first session yesterday of paclitaxel and carboplatin and I've been looking into whether Avastin would be available for first line treatment
How far are you in with your treatment
Best regards
Ann
Hi Ann,
Sorry for the delay, I don’t look at this site every day.
You will have to discuss with your Oncologist whether Avastin is right for you as he/she will have to request it from the Drug Fund on your behalf. They seem to be going through staff changes at Colchester, I have been swapped between Oncologist recently!
Don’t forget that you can get a 2nd opinion about Avastin if you are not happy about it being refused for you,
You can take a look at my profile to see what treatment I’ve had, they did remove the lesions from my liver but my problem is miliary disease - at surgery the surgeon found masses of cancer seeds too small to remove throughout my abdominal cavity and stuck around my colon. I’m told no amount of chemo will kill them off but a CT scan doesn’t show them. They mess with my digestion!
I’m happy to answer any other questions direct and even meet up if you want to. I meet up occasionally with Dee from this site - and we are meeting in February with maybe one other who I haven’t met before who is local. I’m sure the others won’t mind another local joining us. It’s on 22nd if you’re interested.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Iris xx
Hi Iris, Thanks for your reply, I'd love to meet up with you and friends on 22nd Feb if that is still going ahead, I've got chemo on 15th so hopefully I will be OK again by then
Look forward to hearing from you
Regards
Ann
It is, I can’t get there until 14.30 though. I’ll keep you posted xx
That's no problem, where do you meet up
Ann x
Craft Nurseries
Hello,
its currently only licensed for 18 infusions via the NHS (one year) and then it stops. I asked my Oncologist whether it would be worth trying to self fund for longer but she said there was no evidence that greater than a year was effective (I don't know where she got her stats from). I've also read about ladies who've successfully been on it for much longer. Have a look at Inspire which is mainly American ladies but has lots of useful posts on there too, thanks, Sticky77
Avastin
Avastin
Avastin
Avastin. 
