Dear All,
I am starting Immunotherapy together with Abraxane on Friday 17.12.21.
I am scared of side effects of treatment.
I was diagnosed July 2019. Stage 4 BBC. I was put on Ibrance and letrozol. Had Masectomy August 2020 & Radiotherapy.
Medication stopped working. Tumours now on chest and liver.
Any advice,please?
I am silent member of this group. I truly gain inspiration from all of your experiences.
Thanks.
Enjoy the Holidays.
Live and Blessings always.x
Tara
Hi Tara, I've no experience to offer you on your new treatment, but I wish you well and say stay strong + I'm sure the ladies on here will have lots of tips and support for you. Best wishes in your treatment + for peaceful and Happy Christmas .
Dear Joannaaaa,
Thanks for your kind words.
I am sorry for the late reply. I was feeling a bit down and scared.
I am worried about the side effects from chemo.
I am trying to look at this treatment in a very positive way.
Once again thanks for your kindness and support.
I wish you all the very best.
Love always T x
I had that treatment last year. It wasn't difficult, other than losing my hair for a second time, but after 6 months on the immunotherapy and abraxane I developed autoimmune hepatitis. My oncologist said this was caused by the immune drug. I suffered horrible side effects from the prednisone and other drugs for treating that condition. Basically the 3 liver numbers spiked up extremely high. I had other infections - UTI and C-diff - during the course of that and was hospitalized several times with nausea, vomiting, high fevers. The last time I was in the hospital they discovered a DVT in my leg. Once my liver numbers went down, I went to get the Pfizer shot for covid. That caused my immune system to kick into high gear again and my liver numbers went sky high again. I am now a month out of that treatment but at the last blood test, the three numbers my onco tracks were not yet in the normal range, but they were going in the right direction. However, being off all of the drugs has given me my life back. I play tennis 3 times a week and enjoy baking and other things (I am 74 years young!). My last PET scan in May was NED - I go for another one tomorrow. I am praying that I still am NED. It has been a long and hard year for me, but I am eternally grateful for the immunotherapy because it zapped the cancer. Not everyone would have the reaction that I had to this therapy. Our bodies all react differently. I don't think I had any side effects from the immunotherapy part, mostly the abraxane. It is chemo and does what chemo does. Blessings to you and have a Happy Christmas.
I wish you success with your treatment. Immunotherapy seems to be very effective in cancer treatment and I think it will be prescribed to more patients.
Hello Mariootsi,Thanks ever so much for your kind words of encouragement.
I am trying to be positive.
I have heard so much about side effects from chemo, I am apprehensive.
I just got to have faith and be very positive.
Enjoy whatever you do over the Holidays and always .
With love Always.Tx
Thank you. I had chemo my first dx. It made me very fatigued. But they gave steroids to help with side effects.
Sorry for my late response, I’ve been off line for a while. I have been on immunotherapy and Abraxane since July. I have cancer in my liver, sternum, and lymph nodes. This is my second line of treatment after Ibrance/Faslodex had failed. I have found this treatment quite manageable. I was extremely scared as I have never been on chemo before. I had a port put in. My schedule was two weeks on, one week off. I have lost my hair while on Abraxane. I am a little more tired, have more aches and pains, and I have dealt with diarrhea. Imodium is my friend and has helped tremendously with the diarrhea. A heating pad and occasional Advil helps with the aches and pains. I have never had to use any anti-nausea medicine. My QOL is fine! I have had 2 -pet scan‘s in the last 4 months. My first pet scan was phenomenal -much improvement!! The second -pet scan was even better!!! My oncologists’ plan for me was to be on the Abraxane for 6 cycles (12 infusions) and then stop the Abraxane and stay on the immunotherapy as monotherapy. That’s where I am now.
I was so scared when I first started this treatment. People are praying for me and God has given me strength -keep the faith! I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for my Heavenly Father and His Son! I have been surprised at how easy this treatment has been for me! Hang in there you can do this! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Many blessings to you and may this treatment be manageable for you and may you be on it for a very long long time! 🙏❤️
Hi. I just had a bad pet ct with 6 lesions in liver and lymph nodes near pancreas, possible pancreas involvement. I was switched from Xeloda to abraxane I do not know what to expect. How are you now?Thank you
Marina
Marina,I am so so sorry to hear of what your PET/CT scan showed…. I have found the Abraxane to be quite manageable! I have never had IV chemo before so I was scared beyond belief. I did not cold cap, so I did lose my hair. I had issues with diarrhea, but I was able to get that under control with Imodium and Bentyl. I was a little bit more tired but it was manageable. The Abraxane is given over 30 minutes and you don’t need any steroids or premeds with it. I did have a port put in,( I have very bad veins), so treatments would be a lot easier for me. I also iced my hands and feet to keep neuropathy at bay, and it seems to have worked. I am doing quite well now, the Abraxane worked wonders for me! Praise be to God! I had my last Abraxane treatment right before Thanksgiving 2021. I have been stable for the past year! If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask. I wish you well on Abraxane and may this treatment kick your cancer in the butt! Blessings to you my dear!
Thank you so much for your reply and support. Where were your Mets when you started abraxane. Did you have it three weeks on and one off. How many treatments did you have. What treatment are you at after you finished. Thank you so so much. I am very scared. Best to you
Marina
My mets were in my liver, sternum, and some lymph nodes. My schedule was two weeks on, one week off. My oncologists’ plan for me was to be on the Abraxane for 6 cycles (12 infusions) along with immunotherapy, and then stop the Abraxane and stay on the immunotherapy as monotherapy. That’s where I am now. I understand your fear as that’s exactly how I felt when I first started with this line of treatment. I had never been on IV chemo before and I was petrified. This treatment has been extremely manageable for me and I have a very good quality of life! You can do this! Blessings to you my dear!Liz
Thank you so much Liz for sharing. What kind of immunotherapy were you on and are now. She did not mention it only abraxane. I also have er plus pr plus and her2 minus. Did you have multiple lesions in liver. Were they gone ? What city are you in? I do not know if I need a second opinion. She did not say for how long I will be on abraxane. I wish you the very best. Thank you so much for your support
Best,
Marina
Dear Liz,Please, please answer my questions when you have a chance. Thank you very much
Best,
Marina
Marina,I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. My brother was celebrating his 60th birthday and we were out last night.
I was on Keytruda/Abraxane and I continue to be on Keytruda only now. The reason I’m on Keytruda is that I have a high tumor mutational burden, meaning that my liver tumor that they biopsied had an abundance of mutations to it. My oncologist said that’s not the norm for breast cancer. I also tested PD-L1 positive. Immunotherapy is supposed to help with both. The Abraxane was used to knock the cancer back and then that would give the Immunotherapy a chance to work. When I was first diagnosed MBC, I had one lesion in the liver. Ibrance/Faslodex took care of that and kept it at bay for about a year. Last July another lesion appeared in my liver in a different area. That’s when I switched to IV chemo and immunotherapy. As of my last PET/CT scan in May, my liver lesions are gone. Praise be to God!
Ask your oncologist how long she wants you to be on Abraxane. When I started on IV chemo and immunotherapy my scans were pushed to every two months, as opposed to every three months. Reason being -checking my progress to see if the drugs were working. I’m thinking your oncologist will probably want to scan sooner as opposed to later. From what I hear, Abraxane is easier to handle because you don’t have to do all the premeds. When will you start Abraxane? I’m here if you have any other questions. I’m happy to help, so please don’t hesitate to ask! I’m sending you a big hug and will be praying for you. I know you’re scared -you can do this! Just know I’m here for you and all of the ladies are here for you!! 🙏💗🙏
Liz
p.s. I live near Chicago.
Hi Liz,Thank you very much for taking your time to talk to me. Congrats to your brother. Thank you for all your sweetness and support. When I was diagnosed, I had bones only. Last year I had one liver met that was gone when I started taking Xeloda. Recently I was diagnosed with the endometrial primary cancer and during the surgery they saw spread to lymph nodes in the abdominal. The last pet ct showed 5 liver Mets in addition to the lymph nodes and bones. My mo mentioned that the tissue they obtained during surgery they sent to genetic testing. This is probably to find out what mutations are there. She gave me abraxane without keytruda but three weeks on, one off. I hope it will help the liver.
Thank you so much for offering your helping hand. I hope for new drugs that will cure us.
Best,
Marina
Marina, I’m ER+ HER2- also. I’m happy to hear that you’re getting genomic testing. That is how I found out that I have a high tumor mutational burden and that I am PDL1 positive. Testing was a game changer -It opened up more lines of treatment for me. My oncologist was confident that the Abraxane would work for me, -it should help your liver, it’s a good drug. I know you are scared, and my goodness, so much is going on and things are moving fast, but try to take a breath. You got this! Be kind and gentle to yourself! Blessings to you!Liz
Thank you so much Liz for all your kindness and support. It helps me a lot. I am following the preclinical research on ErSO and erx41. It’s supposed to be a cure or effective treatment if it works on people. I have read about some drugs for pdl1 but I do not remember now. For how long will you be on keytruda, probably for as long as it works. Please keep in touch. Best,Marina
Marina, You are right -I will be on Keytruda for as long as the Good Lord will allow! We’ll keep in touch -please keep me updated on your journey. Blessings to you, Liz
Thank you so much for your reply and a such needed support. The best of luck and the most important lots of health. Keep in touch.
Hi Tara,
I’m scheduled to start Abraxane and Keytruda in the next 3 weeks. I’m dreading it. I was her 2 positive but it spread to my skin and is now Triple negative. Dang it! Please keep me updated on how you’re doing and I’ll do the same.
Best wishes to you on this treatment.
Stacy
Btw. I was diagnosed in Nov 2018 with Mets to my right lung. It’s gone from there now. It’s only on my skin. I’ve had radiation there but it keeps coming back right next to where the radiation area stops. Uggg
How are you doing Tara ? I started a similar treatment last year but I was given paclitaxel with herceptin & perjeta. I continue with the herceptin &perjeta . I am doing well and my hair is back , eye brows & lashes . I feel pretty good .
Be kind to yourself , take the medications to help with side effects and let your oncology team know how you are feeling . They can have some useful tips . The ladies on this board are also amazing and willing to help .
Luann
Immunotherapy 
Positive immunotherapy trial results
Immunotherapy (Keytruda) and COC protocal
