Advice re 'maintenance' chemo

[Mary]

Having been told that my OC is at Stage 4 with some small spots on my liver and been given a life expectancy of 2 to 3 years, it seems I now face regime after regime of various chemotherapies in order to have that time. Has anyone else gone through this and how did they cope? I've also been told that I can go on the ICON6 trial or if chosing not to, go on Carboplatin and Caelyx. Does anyone have any experience of either of these and did anyone have a similar choice?

[charlie12]

Hi Mary

I am so terribly sorry to read this , but please realise that we are all different and that an "expectancy" is for the average person. Many many people do alot better. I am in this area professionally and we see , on countless occasions, large numbers of patients doing much much better.I do not have any information or experience about this study.

With love

Charlie xxx

[lill]

Aged 76 and in my second treatment with Carboplatin and Taxol, after three and a half year's remission I have opted to do the Icon 6 trial - it is not onerous and have been assured that should it become so, they would take me from it at any time. I think anything that may possibly improve your outcome is worth doing - there is quite a bit of info. on the web about Cerinadib, which is the tablet I am taking for the trial. Good luck!

[Hidden]

Hi Mary,

After I pushed the dr for my life expectancy, as he said, "it is as long as a piece of string. Nobody knows what will happen" He did eventually give me 8 - 15 months, but I'm still here after 2 years so.......

I've never done a trial as the ones I was asked to do wanted more time than I could give, ( I had holidays booked) but I have had reactions of one kind or another to 4 different drug regimes, I'm now on my 5th different drug - but the one I'm on now doesn't affect me at all, and my situation is stable (according to the latest CT scan). Just stay postive and live your life the best you can. When you have problems with a drug make sure the doctors know as there are many different combinations that can put you on. I've changed my diet slightly to take into account all the advise the books give you, (no dairy, plenty of coloured fruit and veg etc).

Good luck

Viv

[spanishanna]

Hi Mary, I am sorry to read about your diagnosis, but agree with the other ladies, no Dr can really depict life expectancy. I was diagnosed stage 111c in Oct 2006 with only a 40% chance of survival, then in Jan 2008 only months to live. I was thankfully put on drug trials here in Spain and am still plodding on. Chemotherapy is part of my life ,it is maintenance, I have been on chemo solidly now for 3 years and 4 months without a break, but the body is coping well.

Mary I have to say I think you are mad to put holidays before treatment. We cancelled a holiday of a life time 4 years ago, a 6 weeks holiday from Singapore, on a cruise, finishing in Australia. My cancer treatment is in the forefront of everything. I have just had another scan done and the results are good, but until we see my Oncologist on Wed we are holding back on booking a cruise at the end of October.

Diet too is important, I eat very little dairy as I am asthmatic, red meat is down to once a week as it takes longer for the proteins in red meat to be expelled from the body. This was on the instructions of my oncologist, also sugar feeds cancer, so I keep sugar to absolute minimum. Organic where possible and most importantly no orange or orange drinks around my chemo sessions as this makes the chemo less effective.

Good luck Mary, in your shoes I would choose the ICON 6 trial.

Anna x

[spanishanna]

Mary one thing I forgot to mention last night. Is your Oncologist actually giving you the choice of treatment ?. I personally would go on his guidance. He knows the level of your cancer and knows which when should be the most effective.I should ask him which HE think you should be continuing with.

Anna x