2nd line treatment.....6 or 8 that's the question?

[FlorenceW]

Hi has anyone been in the same situation as me.......I'm on 2nd line treatment and have had 6 chemos. I am waiting for a scan on the 27th March, and see the dr on the 4th April. I have been told if the tumours are continuing to reduce (scan 3 compared with scan 6) then I will have another 2 chemos. If the tumours have plateaued then they will stop at 6. They've said in 95% of cases the tumours plateau between chemo 3 and 6. So it is unlikely I'll have another 2. But that leaves me with tumours that will just start growing agin. They have said that yes this is the case. This could be weeks/months and that a year would be good. Has anybody been in this situation? And if so what happened. Thank you

Florence

[BusyLizzie]

Hi Florence,

I have not been in this situation...but as you know I have a take on everything It seems logical to want to hit it with everything and go with the last 2 possible chemos having come this far, but I have had it explained to me that sometimes we have to regard chemos as bullets. It is not an unlimited amount of times you can use the same bullet, so sometimes you have to save them until they will be most effective. For you (and heaven forbid it happens) it could be if/when the tumours reactivate.

Love Lizzie

X

[FlorenceW]

Hi Lizzie...thanks...I love your 'takes'....I agree with what you're saying......I just feel that if the tumours are still there...then it seems strange to stop treatment...cos they'll jsut start growing again....I know that is going to happen anyway...... But it's the platueaing bit I don't get....and wonder what other women have been told this as I was...the Dr said that in 95% of cases the tumour reduction stops or plateaus from chemo 4 to 6....which is why they take look and compare scan 3 with scan 6....to see if there is any further reduction in tumour size. I also feel a bit down becasue I was told in Nov it was in some lymph glands..including the vena cava which transports stuff from the heart...and when I was in hosp a couple of weeks ago with the infection they did a chest scan..and found some early consolidtive changes in a part fof the heart. It is all such a blooming pain.....and hard to deal with at times.....so ridiculously hard.....xxxxxHow are you?when do you get results of your current chemo?xx

[Hidden]

Hi Florence,

My onc gave me 9 sessions of chemo last time (round 5!), just to be sure- everything was going down nicely, and he didn't want it to stop. I had no side effects, so was quite pleased to carry on. The CT scan at the end showed everything stable, and my CA125 was down to 19! I must admit, I feel that when I go again on 30th April things will be different, but for the time being I making the most of it. It is so difficult following what different oncologist do, and the reasons for it, but if the tumours are still there and not reducing, the chemo is not working, so something else is a better idea. There are so many different combinations of drugs, and as I say I'm was on no 5, but if I need more in April, it will have been deemed not to have worked as I haven't lasted a year... so a change of drugs again. As far as I'm concerened I'd take it indefinatley as I felt so good on it, but the one I was taking before stopped working after 3, and my ca went up, but I still had to go to 6 sessions, then straight to this new one that started working within the first week.

good luck whatever they plan for you.

Viv

[FlorenceW]

Hi Greybadger thank you for your reply.......what were you taking on no 5.....I really hope come April you don't need more. This is only my 2nd line...but I find the idea of more hard....how do you keep sane on that rollercoaster of scans and results etc. I've had carboplatinum/taxol first and second time with 14 months remission between 1 and 2. What did you get?xx