Avastin treatment for Colorectal Cancer (Please advice me)

jibishk · New User Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 5

Hi

My father is suffering from colorectal cancer. It was diagnosed 2 weeks ago and the growth is around 20 cms in length (so we think it started some 2-3 years ago).
It is also diagnosed that the cancer had spread to lungs (2 points in lungs) and a bone near chest (1 point in bone).
The doctor has advised to take avastin treatment combined with chemotherapy.

Could you please let me know the success rate of this therapy?
I understand that avastin is very costly, but I want to save my father at any cost.

Please advise me.

brainman

Hi jibishk. I am sorry that no one who knows more than I do has replied to your question. I do know that Avastin is commonly used along with 5FU and/or Carboplatin and Paclitaxel. From what I understand it does not kill the cancer cells, it just slows down their growth allowing the chemotherapy to do its job. Beyond that little information, I do not know anything about side-effects that most people can expect from it or how effective these combinations are. Hopefully, someone with personal experience will reply soon.

You and your father are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

Rotorhead · Regular Joined: 04 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Hawaii

Avastin is an anti- VEGF (vascular-endothelial growth factor) drug. In short, it works by preventing vascularization of tumors. When a tumor grows, the cells need blood. The body responds by vascularizing - essentially growing pipelines to the tissue to carry blood. Avastin prevents this vascularization, and the oncology types get real excited talking about it.

I refused the clinical trial of avastin for my treatment of rectal cancer (treated with the regular FOLFOX regimen). I felt my doctor did not give me enough information on it, in particular the risk factors associated with some of the nastier side effects (bowel perforation). So, I have no first-hand experience with it. There are no long-term studies on it's use among rectal cancer patients; the one study available was done on stage-4 patients and showed some promise of extending life. Thus there isn't a connection between it's use and the prevention of recurrence of tumors for stage 3 and below.

Here is the NIH link for avastin:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/druginfo/bevacizumab
I encourage you to use the internet to find as much info as you can from as many reputable sources as possible. Make a binder and take it to the doctor's next time, with your questions.

I hope this helps. I wish you the best of luck.

Aloha,
RH
_________________
Diagnosed Stage 3 rectal cancer Nov 07
6 weeks chemo/rad Dec 07/Jan 08
Surgery (TME) 11 Feb 08
6 months FOLFOX started March 08
My blog: http://rotorheadsblog.blogspot.com/

Darwin

y ex husband has bowel cancer which had spread to his liver and lungs. He has been on Avastin with other chemop drugs (first 5FU and Folfox then 5FU plus folfirri) since July 2007.
Avastin seems to have helped him tremendously! I am not a nurse but understyand that it effectively starves the tumour while the other chemo drugs attack it. The Oncologist said that Avastin would add about another five months to my ex's life expectancy but that was said16 months ago! We think it has been one of the most effective treatments.
The side effects were no worse for him than th other chemotherapy.
It is really expensive he paid AUD2,380.00 every two weeks and got only AUD 40.00 back from his top level private health fund which was almost an insult, and nothing at all back from Medicare (we live in Australia) The deal was that if he paid for nine months treatment then any treatment after that would be free so he paid the AUD43,000.00 total and has had the past seven months for free so the longer it goes the cheaper the cost of the treatment if you can follow my skewed logic.
I hope this information helps a little but your OPncologist should be able to give you an information sheet.
Best wishes
Dorothy
_________________
Ex husband's diagnosis was January 2006, stage IV bowel cancer with mets to liver and lungs. Two years of continuous chemo, folfox then folfirri. On MAX chemo now. Has had radiation to pelvic area and radioactive SIRT spheres injected through the portal vein into the liver.

Darwin

Ooops - I am clearly not a typist either:( sorry for the typos!
_________________
Ex husband's diagnosis was January 2006, stage IV bowel cancer with mets to liver and lungs. Two years of continuous chemo, folfox then folfirri. On MAX chemo now. Has had radiation to pelvic area and radioactive SIRT spheres injected through the portal vein into the liver.

Darwin

Me again.... you may like to read the post I put up about SIRT spheres and MAX combination of chemotherapy (MAX is three drugs, one being Avastin).
Good Luck
D
_________________
Ex husband's diagnosis was January 2006, stage IV bowel cancer with mets to liver and lungs. Two years of continuous chemo, folfox then folfirri. On MAX chemo now. Has had radiation to pelvic area and radioactive SIRT spheres injected through the portal vein into the liver.

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