Ibrance to Affinitor

[Sistersforever]

My sister in law just went from being on Ibrance, for less than 2 yrs, to Affinitor. She feels it's a death sentence and I have told her that it happens when medicine stops working. I just need to know how long you can be on this. She had to change after her last scan showed an increase in the size of a tumor behind her sternum

[LouisaMay]

Hi, there have been a couple of mentions on this site of Ibrance resistance being reversible as per this article

dana-farber.org/newsroom/ne...

So perhaps your sister-in-law could go back on it after a 7 week break?

Sending her and you best wishes xxx

[mariootsi in reply to LouisaMay]

Wow! Good to know Ibrance resistance may be reversed with 7 weeks off! Amazing. Good to know! Dana Farber is an amazing place!

[Sistersforever in reply to LouisaMay]

Thank you

[barbarac76]

I can relate to how your sister-in-law feels. Every time a treatment stops working for me, I go through a dark period. I think that's normal. When you're doing well on a treatment, you get lulled into thinking it just might last forever. When it doesn't, the reality of this darn disease surfaces again.

About Afinitor...I was on Afinitor and Exemestane (another aromatase inhibitor like letrozole) for two years. One word of caution...when my dose was increased from 5mg, which I tolerated, to 7.5mg after the first month, my liver enzymes were dramatically elevated. My onc put me back on 5mg after a two week break. Then, after one year at 5mg, she slowly increased my dose from 5mg daily to 7.5mg every third day (5mg the other two days), to 7.5mg every two out of three days, and eventually 7.5mg every day.

I hope your sister-in-law does well with Afinitor. I hope she knows that there are many options available beyond Ibrance. It's also encouraging to read about the article (referenced in the previous post) about possibly going back on Ibrance after a break. My oncologist has mentioned this possibility, as well as trying Verzenio, another CDK4,6 inhibitor, after Xeloda, which I am on now.

[Selmac]

My first treatment was Ibrance and Faslodex. I was only on it six months and my cancer had spread. It did nothing for me. I have been on Afinitor and Aromasin for almost 1 1/2 years. Last scans showed no progression and slight improvement. Getting new scans this month. I have been on full dose of both the whole time. Thank God my counts have never dropped and liver and kidney function good. I've tolerated it well. I know one person who was on it almost 5 years. Hope this helps.

Terry