New member, Merci (Dad has brain tumor)

Merci · New User Joined: 27 Jul 2008 Posts: 1

Good morning! I am new to this forum and wanted to introduce myself. My name is "Merci" and my dad was diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in February 2008. He had surgery to resect it in March 2008 and it was determined that it was an extremely rare hemangiopericytoma. He was in the hospital for weeks, then moved to an inpatient rehab hospital to relearn how to walk, balance, and swallow. He left rehab with a PEG tube because he couldn't swallow and only last week got it removed after months of speech and swallow therapy. He completed one round of radiation therapy and has now started taking chemo in the form of Tarceva because 40% of his tumor was positive for EGFR and is almost certain to grow again. The oncologist is hopeful that the Tarceva will help to retard and slow the regrowth of the remaining tumor which measured 3 cm before surgery and is measuring 7-8 mm top to back and 22 mm front to back now. I joined this forum to hopefully find support but mostly information about Tarceva and its symptoms and ways to alleviate them because we're new to the chemo drug and it's not used very often to treat brain tumors; it seems it's "standard" use is for non-small cell lung cancer so I will likely be posting not only in the Brain Tumors forum but in the Lung Cancer forum as well. I look forward to getting to know folks here and hopefully being able to offer support and information as well as receive. Thanks!
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Merci

brainman

Hi Merci. I copied your post the the Brain Cancer Forum so that more people will see it and reply.

I am very sorry about your father's brain cancer. Do you know what type and grade it is? I am glade they were able to remove a large part of it.

I honestly have never heard of Tarceva being used with primary brain cancer... and I thought I knew most everything about brain cancers and their treatments. Live and learn. At least Tarceva should be easy for him to tolerate.

You and your father are in my thoughts and prayers.
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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/

jenugl

Hi Merci, I'm sorry to hear your father was diagnosed with brain cancer. I too have a loved one (my husband) with it so I know how you are feeling. Unfortunately I don't know anything about the drug you are talking about but I'm here if you need emotional support. Luckily my husbands tumour was completly removed and so far it hasn't reared its ugly head, which is pretty amazing for a GBMIV. I pray and hope your fathers condition improves. As Jim asked, what sort of tumour is it?
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Love to all. Jen.
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Partner of GBMIV survivor - so far.

http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=9502

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