Considering IP/IV vs. Clinical trial with Avastin

• By Anng
• Posted March 25, 2009 at 12:21 pm
• Report post

Chewbarod-within the last couple of weeks my husband and I read an article on Avastin in the San Francisco Chronicle that you should read before you make a decision. Maybe it can be found on line on the Chronicle web site.
I am currently doing both IV and IP-felt it was the best plan after much thought.
Anng

• Reply

• By Dee09
• Posted March 25, 2009 at 8:22 pm
• Report post

Wow, well, the IP treatment added to the standard IV treatment has been proven to be very effective - I don't recall the name of the study but it came out in 2006 and found a significant increase in survival rates. While Avastin is being touted as the new wonder drug, studies with ovca patients aren't yet complete. Personally, I wouldn't give up my chance of getting IP therapy to get the Avastin. As far as I know, they don't usually do IP therapy as a second line treatment but if your mom gets to the point where she has a recurrence, Avastin would probably be one of the drugs that would be considered, and by that time, hopefully, the doctors will know more about it and it will be FDA approved for ovca so there won't be insurance issues (which is one of the attractive parts of getting it through a clinical trial - it's paid for by the drug company.)

I did IP/IV cisplatin/taxol AND 10 more months of Avastin. Maybe there's another clinical study out there where your mom wouldn't have to choose between the two.

Best of luck.

• Reply

• By Patricia123
• Posted March 26, 2009 at 9:26 am
• Report post

I am hearing more about people who have "maintenance" treatment after IV/IP carbo/taxol. I had not heard of it with Avastin.

Avastin scares me a bit so I would think twice abougt using it as a third drug.

Does anyone else take Avastin after chemo if there is NED/ my doc is suggesting 24 IV taxols at weekly intervals like they do in Breast Ca. He says it extends disease free interval but no evidence vis a vis overall survival.

• Reply

• By Patricia123
• Posted March 26, 2009 at 9:28 am
• Report post

PS Has anyone knowledge of using the IP port a second time? The consult at Hopkins said he encouraged his patients to keep it in and laughed "as a souvinir"..I wonder, do they ever use it down the road? It is such an ideal way to get the drug to the abdomen that I have thought it could be reused for a second time if you were plat sensitive and had a recurrence.

• Reply

• By Shearaw
• Posted March 26, 2009 at 1:19 pm
• Report post

Patricia123, I am one of the ladies who has taken avastin for maintenance therapy for a year, after getting 6 cycles with carbo and taxol. I felt that I had no choice as my stage IV cancer could not be optimally debulked, with many small distributed tumors. The regimen did put me into NED status for over a year. The side effects were indeed impacting on my quality of life. However, I have come out stronger and the better for it.

I agree, everyone has to do what is best for their own circumstances.

Sheara W

• Reply

• By Patricia123
• Posted March 26, 2009 at 4:59 pm
• Report post

Thanks! I have stage 3c and didn't get my IP for three months so the first three treatments were all IV. He says the IV taxol is for extending disease free time but I wonder if he has worries or if he thinks it extends life.

The avastin sounds good,,were the sides bad?

I am trying to think I iwll have a "cure" or a long term remission but at the same time preparing for just in case.

• Reply

• By Shearaw
• Posted March 26, 2009 at 6:12 pm
• Report post

The avastin side effects I experienced (if I can remember, haha) were elevated BP, minor nosebleeds, runny nose, hoarseness, easy bruising and slow healing, and headaches. The side effects all lessened somewhat after the carbo/taxol concurrent therapy ended. I had always been prone to migraines, so I was not surprised to get headaches. However, after awhile I went totally off my migraine drugs, and relied on Tylenol at the first sign of any pain. Gradually that approach began to work. Unfortunately, ibuprofen would have been better, but that was on the forbidden list. They monitor BP carefully when on avastin; and my was easily controlled with atenolol.

• Reply

Add to the discussion