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Who can/should try Tarceva? Parameters please!!!!!!!
Thanks for all the wisdom on this site
Mary
PS I'm on hiatus from treatment for 1-2mos...LDN is now working on my cure!
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tarceva HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- By willets
- Posted June 29, 2009 at 10:36 pm · 20 replies
- In Treatment options
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Taxotere Cancer Taxol Tarceva Carboplatin Avastin Lung cancer
20 replies
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- By sheilake
- Posted June 29, 2009 at 11:42 pm
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According to the major Spanish clinical trial (SATURN) just finished, Tarceva has a 70 percent chance of working if you are EGFR positive, female, non-smoker (and it helps to be Asian) with adenocarcinoma.
Tarceva has worked on male, non-smokers and it has worked on EGFR negative - just a much, much lower hit rates.
Best wishes,
Sheila
- By MikeS5
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 8:54 am
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My wife is on Tarceva. She is a stage IV lung cancer patient. She has never smoked anything in her life. She was tested for the EGFR mutation which I believe is in 20% of the the patients. We were lucky that she has this mutation. Tarceva was issued to her as a frontline treatment. You may want to get tested for the Alks treatment that they are coming up with if Tarceva is not an option. Good luck.
- By drrust
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 11:44 am
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For more than half a year Tarceva worked very well for my wife, at that time age 66, white, female, nonsmoker, stage 4 NSCLC. It was her second-line treatment after a platinum duo. She had no mutation testing. Because Tarceva is oral, and showed few side effects, it provided good quality of life in addition to the disease control in chest tumors and in brain mets. At least everybody like my wife should try Tarceva.
- By emtq
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 11:45 am
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I have been on Tarceva for 4 months now and I have run the gamut of side effects. I can tell you that before my oncologist prescribed it, he tested me. While I think I understand how the drug works, I do not have the ability to describe it to anyone else.
If you want to know about Tarceva, go to the Tarceva website and read all about it. Just Google "tarceva" and you will find it. There is more information there than can be absorbed in one sitting, but each person is different, so my experiences with Tarceva may not be like any one else. You can also find information there about current studies and clinical trials.
- By beckylynn
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 9:15 pm
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Willetts,
I am going with my sister to her next Dr. appoint 07Jul in Grand Rapids MI. She is currently not doing any kind of chemo treatments. I want her to ask about the LDN I'm afraid the Dr. might not prescibe it. Did you Dr. bring it up or do you bring it up and request it. Did they give you a hard time about it or willing agree?
I hope he'll agree I've read some great things about it. My sister is now open to consider a 'pill' for of chemo she just did not want to do the IV thing as it turns out.
How long have you been using the LDN?
Tks so much for the feedback.
Becky :)
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 9:49 am
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Thanks Shelia,
I'm an ex smoker w/ squamous cell...this might not be for me
Blessings
Mary
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 9:50 am
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Thanks Mike...I don't think Tarceva is right fo me...what's ALKs treatment?
Fondly
Mary
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 10:05 am
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Thanks drrust
I appreciate the info...it might not be my answer
Mary
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 10:12 am
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There sure is a lot of info about this drug!!!!!!!!What did we do before Google?
Blessings
Mary
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 10:25 am
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Hi Becky
I did all my own research on LDN...onc didn't go along w/ it, my pcp wrote the rx & I got it filled at Skip's Pharmacy in Boca Raton. Google Skip's for the #...they were also great answering questions. I've been on it for a week & will have scans end of July.
It takes about 6mos for it to work... but everyone's different. Good luck w/ it & let me know if I can help anymore
Blessings
Mary
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 11:03 am
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Becky
I just did some more research...Google Mary Boyle Bradley blogtalkradio ...fabulous information on LDN
Hope this helps
Hold a good one
Mary
- By Mari
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 11:10 am
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Hi,
I don't know about the smoking and non*smoking issue of it! I do know that I was a smoker and I have been on Tarceva for 4 months now and have had a little shrinkage ...which for me is a good thing : )
So, for me it is working .....xoxox
- By MikeS5
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 11:50 am
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Hi Mary,
This is the article from MGH that mentions it (EML4-ALK). It may be worth looking into this. I am at MGH with my wife and it seems to be the newest idea. Here is the link:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/03/mgh_to_u se_genetics_to_personalize_cancer_care/
Godbless,
Mike
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 3:00 pm
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Hi Mari
Maybe there is hope for us ex smokers...why do you say a little is good? Did you get the rash? What type of cancer do you have?
Thanks
Mary
- By willets
- Posted July 1, 2009 at 6:18 pm
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Hey Mike
You are the 2nd person to bring up this approach...
I find it very interesting & will check it out...it really makes sense on a basic level I didn't know the name of it. Thanks so much for your caring. My prayers will be w/ both you & your wife.
Many blessings
Mary
- By sunshine2gal
- Posted July 10, 2009 at 12:57 am
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I don't know if I gave you this info before, but just in case, here it is again. My mother also has squamous, so I asked Dr. West a question about Tarceva and treatment. This was the reply. At the bottom, you will see a link that specifically deals with the Tarceva question. If I read it right, it looks like although squamous cell patients have less successful results with tumor shrinkage on Tarceva, they still have about equal survival benefits from it. Read the links when you have time, it's certainly something to keep on the table! The original answer is in my profile, if the links don't work since I copied and pasted. Good luck!!
By DrWest
Posted April 26, 2009 at 12:13 pm
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The lung cancer community is certainly struggling to find new treatments that are good choices for patients with squamous NSCLC. The cornerstone of systemic treatment for advanced NSCLC is still platinum doublet chemo, and that's still appropriate for patients with a squamous tumor: typically carboplatin (or could be cisplatin) with either a taxane (taxol or taxotere) or gemcitabine, less commonly navelbine. All of these are perfectly fine and of comparable activity.
The treatments that don't appear to be good choices for squamous NSCLC include avastin, because we see excessive bleeding complications for patients with squamous NSCLC on avastin, or alimta, which doesn't seem to work in patients with squamous tumors. Here's my general approach to advanced NSCLC in patients not eligible for avastin, largely including patients with squamous tumors:
http://cancergrace.org/lung/2008/08/23/wird-bev-inelig-good-risk-fl-adv-nsc lc/
A class of agents called IGF-1R inhibitors is being tested now, though not yet commercially available, with a lot of hope that they could be particularly favorable for patients with squamous tumors. Here's a bit of information about IGF-1R inhibitors:
http://cancergrace.org/lung/2008/08/06/igf-1r-for-squam-nsclc/
Otherwise, it's important to point out that while some oncologists don't believe that EGFR inhibitors like tarceva work for patients with squamous tumors. More information on that here:
http://cancergrace.org/lung/2006/11/18/is-tarceva-only-useful-in-certain-pa tient-groups/
I hope that helps.
-Dr. West
Reply
- By NYMelissa
- Posted July 10, 2009 at 10:48 am
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My mom is an ex-smoker and her doctor prescribed it to her. She has Stage IV NSCSC. She hadnt smoked when she was diagnosed but has a long history of smoking before she quit. I would give it a shot if there is nothing else for you. It is usually a last defense but seems to have tremendous results.
- By willets
- Posted July 10, 2009 at 2:35 pm
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Thanks Sunshine...great sites...I joined the grace one
My prayers to both you & your mom
Mary
- By willets
- Posted July 10, 2009 at 2:42 pm
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Did your mom test positive for EGFR? Has she had any regular chemo? What type does she have ie squamous etc?
Thanks so much Mellisa, I'll keep the WHITE LIGHT around you both
Mary
- By sandyg2
- Posted October 14, 2009 at 7:57 pm
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I was taken off of Tarceva on 09/15/09, as I had every side effect and was feeling just awful. My face was burning and peeling terribly..diarrhea, burning inside my mouth, too.. itchy eyes.. nausea and vomiting..bad shortness of breath..no appetite, and I never gained back the ten lbs.that I lost, last year, while on chemo.. I have heard that some people have taken Tarceva for years, and that it helped. I guess I am just one that cannot take it. I will be starting Alimta next week.
Hopefully that will work, although I read that rash is only one of the many side effects of that drug.
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