Carbo/Taxol - Avastin trial

• By tex2step
• Posted May 18, 2009 at 11:25 am
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Hello Anne,

I was diagnosed stage IIIC Primary Peritoneal and had a total hysterectomy with optimal debulking in Aug 08 - I am 60 years old.
I completed the first leg - six rounds of the IV Carbo/Taxol and Avastin trial (GOG-0218) in Feb 09. I did not complete the second leg of this trial due to a blood clot in the descending aorta. I was told that IP therapy was not an option because of a emergency colostomy two months before my diagnosis.

You can go to the clinical trial web site and re-read the criteria and print it out. Why don't you and your Mom ask your doctor this question with more information in hand. If you still don't feel positive with the answers - ask for a second opinion. Do know that both of these therapies are valid therapies for this disease and the decisions we make are not as black and white as we would hope for in the future.
Please continue to ask questions, study and help your Mom though this difficult time. Knowledge is our power and you can help your Mom with this.
This forum is here for you -

Stacey

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• By agg22
• Posted May 18, 2009 at 10:13 pm
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Thanks Stacey. I hope you are feeling well now. I do have confidence in our doctor and he feels that IP therapy was the best approach for my mom. Even so, I'm still taking her for a second opinion next week. I don't want to second-guess too much, but I do want to understand and hopefully minimize the risk of recurrence.
Thanks again and best wishes,
Anne

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• By Shearaw
• Posted May 18, 2009 at 11:01 pm
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I was on a similar trial 3 years ago. My debulking was suboptimal, and I was/am stage IV. I would have been much happier to have been stage III, and been able to take the IP option. I understand that the outcomes using IP are highly improved over IV treatment.

Sending healing wishes for your Mom, and hopes that she will have an easy course of treatment.

Sheara W

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• By Shamrock2009
• Posted May 19, 2009 at 5:50 pm
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If you are referring to the GOG 0218 study it is Taxol/Carbo + Avastin or Placebo ( not all participants are randomized to the Avastin some get placebo ---double blinded study). You can be optimally debulked. I was and am enrolled on the study. In fact women are stratified accordingly to either optimally or sub optimally when enrolled. I have a copy the full clinical trial protocol.

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• By Tisha2
• Posted May 19, 2009 at 6:22 pm
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Hi Stacy, My name is Trisha. I am 62 years old. I live in Northern CA. In the "Wine Country" . I was diagnosed with Stage 3c PPC in 4/06. All the screening tests were inconclusive and inflamation was a possibility. The CA-125 was 78. It wasn't until I went through "exploratory surgery" That I was told I had cancer! I still can't believe it! What had I done wrong? There is no history of cancer in my family, WHY ME???? Optimal debulking was done, Hysto of everything except cervix. IP treatment was offered, but I was too scared to do it. It sounded so awful! I had 6 treatments of Carboplaten and Taxol. I went through all of the treatments well. I lost all my hair, lashes and eyebrows and body hair. It was great that I didn't have to shave for awhile! I then went into a 16 month remission. It recurred and I went back on Carbo/Taxol for 2 treatments when I experienced an allergy to the Carbo. My veins were all giving out. They finally decided to put in a chest port. That made such a wonderful difference. I then went on Taxol/Gemzar for a few treatments, then only of Gemzar for what seemed like forever! In October of '08 I was given a break I was so sick and couldn't eat, lost 20 lbs. The break was supposed to be for six weeks,...lasted until mid December. My oncologist would not put me back on any chemo until I gained some weight back. When I had gained 7 lbs I had blood work done and physical exam. At that time I was declared on 12/15/09 that I was in remission again! CT scan said disease "stable" My CA-125 was 12. My last CT on 4/20/09 stated "no evidence of disease" I am right now " Dancing with N.E.D. !! My last checkup and blood work was good. The number was at 15. Still within normal range. I send my Thanks and prayers to Our Father and Jesus everyday. I know they are watching over me and helping me through this. I truely believe in the Power of Prayer! My prayers are with you and all of us who are dealing with this monster that has invaded our lives and bodies!
take care of you,
a fellow veteran in this WAR
may we all win!, Trish

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• By hinsopa
• Posted May 20, 2009 at 6:40 am
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The protocol for this trial was changed. When I enrolled it was just for suboptimally debulked women but it was later changed to include optimally debulked women, also. Probably because they couldn't find enough participants. There is also a trial GOG 213 that includes these 3 drugs.

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• By agg22
• Posted May 20, 2009 at 9:47 am
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Thank you all for your answers. I really appreciate it. This week was a particularly hard one for my mom with the IP and I guess it's natural to wonder if you are doing the right thing. Only two more cycles of IP left to go though - yay! Best wishes to all of you. Thanks again for your help.

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