WorriedAboutMom
Regular
Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 14
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 Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 9:52 am Post subject: Alimta and Tarceva for First Treatment? |
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I've posted before that my mom was recently diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Adenocarcinoma. It's been about 7-8 wks since she first went to the doctor (they had misdiagnosed the lung cancer as ovarian cancer because of the presence of an enlarged ovary with cyst that turned out to be benign after complete hysterectomy). She had a PET scan last week to try and determine primary site (markers pointed towards lung). She was supposed to get the results from the doctor on 10/5.
During all this time, she's had the fluid removed twice because it keeps coming back. Friday she was taken to the emergency room because it came back again and she couldn't breathe, so they removed it for a 3rd time. They told her the cancer had spread to her liver, but then recanted that an hour later (I don't know how they made that mistake!). They then said they assumed it was the lung (there are 4-5 nodules, the biggest is about 2cm), but wanted to track down the PET Scan results to see if it was anywhere else. They were able to track down the PET scan results, and it showed the cancer in the right lung, but no place else. They then did an MRI because they said sometimes a PET scan doesn't show the brain well, so we don't have the results of that, but they didn't say they saw anything on the PET scan.
She is home now with oxygen (helps a lot), and tomorrow she will be admitted for a Pleurodesis and a needle biopsy of the lung nodules. They are on the outside of the lung. They will keep her overnight for observation. They will also put a port in for the chemo. On Friday she gets to see the videos, etc about chemo, and then it will start after that.
Everything I've read said no surgery for stage IV, nor have they mentioned surgery to my mother. However, the hospital has a website where you can look up your patient info, and under her treatment info it lists both a lobectomy and thorocotomy, neither of which were mentioned to her. I don't know why those are on there, unless because the nodules are small, they might try to get them out of there? We have to find out about that.
The two drugs they have listed on there are ERLOTINIB (Tarceva) and PEMETREXED (Alimta). Does anyone have any experience with these two drugs? I thought that Tarceva was a 2nd line drug used after a 1st line had failed? She hasn't had any treatments though. And what about Alimta as a 1st line treatment? It sounds like that is normally used with Cisplatin as a 1st line treatment, and on it's own as a 2nd treatment. Is this standard treatment for stage IV lung cancer? What can we expect with these drugs?
Last edited by WorriedAboutMom on Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dano
Moderator
Joined: 19 Jul 2008
Posts: 506
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
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| Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:04 am Post subject: Re: Alimta and Tarceva for First Treatment? |
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wam
This sounds a little crazy here, makes you wonder if they are doctors or clowns, seems like a second opinion will be in order. I hope she does not have surgery, I do believe that chemo will put a check on the cancer and that should help with the fluids on the lungs as well. So she sounds like she is in better shape than me and I'm doing pretty good.
God Bless
Dan
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55 year old male, Diagnosed Nov. 9,2007 with NSCLC IV with Mets to the lymphs and brain
Had full brain radiation treatment in Jan 08 treatments now every 4 weeks with Alimta, taking Lovenox for blood clots, Now working full time
http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=9993 |
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