Has any woman been treated with Docetaxel for gynecological cancer?

[Helentess]

Has any woman been treated with Docetaxel for gynecological cancer?

My cancer came back after 8 months. My oncologist recommended chemotherapy of Docetaxel because it does not cause as much neuropathy as Paclitaxel. The doctor said there is some success in using Docetaxel to treat ovarian cancer.

Are there any success stories? I found very little on this drug other than it is used to treat prostate cancer in men, and only 1 research paper in using it for treating ovarian cancer.

I would like to know if anyone tried Docetaxel and if the treatments were successful in reducing the cancer or even killing it?

I am considering the Docetaxel BUT, I wonder whether the full dosage of Paclitaxel would have made a made a difference during first chemo and maybe I should try the Paclitaxel again.

Thanks for your response and support.

[Lindaura]

Hello Helen,

You are not alone. Docetaxel goes under the name of Taxatere and is used often for treatment of Breast Cancer and, less so, but still effectively, for Ovarian Cancer.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1...

If you google Taxatere and Ovarian Cancer, many studies come up and it looks to me to have nearly the same efficacy as Pacitaxel, Taxol.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

For my first recurrence, I had Carboplatin and Caelyx. It seemed to be pretty effective.

But the Taxanes are pretty toxic as well as effective, so hopefully your Oncologist has a plan for you.

Best wishes,

Laura

[Helentess in reply to Lindaura]

Thanks. I found those articles. And thanks for the other name of taxotere. There is a huge lawsuit in Canada & USA against the drug as it causes permanent baldness in 15% of patients. Plus it is a lot more toxic than Pacitaxel. The trail was set for Sept 2019, but company asked for an extension. They may offer a settlement instead.

With this new info, I will tell my doctor that I prefer to use Pacitaxel instead.

Thanks again.

[Lindaura in reply to Helentess]

Wow. That is interesting and terrifying information. My sister just had Taxotere a year and a half ago for breast cancer in the USA. She not only reported still having bald spots, but now suffers something called MDS, a pre-leukaemia blood syndrome caused by cancer treatment (rare, but still there).

I don’t know if they’re related, but forewarned is for armed.

Thanks for that,

Best wishes for your successful treatment.

I still can’t decide about the Cold cap!

Hugs,

Laura

[Gemimablackvelvet in reply to Lindaura]

Xxxxx

[AusTig]

I had this drug for my first recurrence as I had reacted badly to more commonly used drugs. It was successful as a petscan after treatment showed nothing visible. However it did add to my neuropathy.

[Helentess in reply to AusTig]

Thanks for info. I had Pacitaxel first time & had reaction to it. But after more drugs to counter the effects, I was fine with it. I was in another Cancer Chat site in which a few women stated lots of bad side effects - worse than Pacitaxel.. I think that I will pass on the taxotere/docetaxel this time.

[Helentess in reply to AusTig]

How long ago was your recurrence and treatment. How bad was the neuropathy?

Thanks

[AusTig in reply to Helentess]

It is about 18 months since I had it. I was free then for approximately 6 to 9 months. In my feet it feels like I walk on cotton wool, my fingers are just ‘thick’ feeling. For example it is difficult to turn pages.

[Helentess in reply to AusTig]

Thanks for info. I had discussion with my cancer doctors yesterday. I decided to have the paclitaxel/carboplatin combination as I did first time. The side effects of the docetaxel are too severe for my other health issues. My neuropathy disappeared in a few months after last chemo treatment. Here I go to start chemo on Nov 4 for recurrence only after 6 months.

[AusTig in reply to Helentess]

A hard decision but I wish you all the best.