Tarceva

Hi,

 I am sorry to hear about your rash.  I am not sure of the name of the cream b/c my Mom is doing a clinical trial and is not on Tarceva.  My sister was in touch with the doctor though and he is very personable and seems like a great guy.  I know that you could look him up and get a number to find out more about his product.  Good luck!

Toni

Hi there,

My mother in law had stage 1 chemo early last year for LC which she responded OK to. Subsequent to the chemo she started to get chest pains in Nov/Dec 06. So she started on Tarceva in January, after about a week on the drug she felt a lot better. And she is still taking the drug now and her condition has seemed to stabilised. This may partly be because she is an Asian non-smoking female (the group that it apparently works best on). However she has had rashes and pimples come up on her face. The pimples went after the first few weeks but a deep red rash remains. She also has sun-burn like symptoms down her back and shoulders with the skin peeling off in places - as you would have with sunburn. So I think the nodules you have are quite typical - and my mother-in-laws oncologist has also said the same thing - they are an indication that the drug is working.  About a month ago she got a chest infection (unrelated to the LC) and she went into hospital - they did some tests and found elevated amounts of a chemical the name of which I cannot remember - apparently related to Tarceva. So for the past 1 month she has been dropped down to 100mg  - with no adverse affect.

In any case you wrote well over a month ago - how is the situation coming along for you now? Have the side effects abated I hope the drug is working for you.

Our main concern is the massive cost of Tarceva (3500 for 1 month of 100mg). We are really worried now that we may have to discontinue - and go to 2nd line Chemo - but it is really terrible to have to make such a decision because Tarceva is working so well for her.

Kind regards,

Wayne 

On 3/11/2007 Dotty wrote:

Hi,

I live in New Zealand and was diagnosed with nsclcstage 4 May 2006.  Since then I have had Chemo and had a remission of only 8 weeks.  So I started on Tarceva and have been on this for 6 weeks.  I had an awful face rash that drove me insane so my Oncologist said to stop taking the pills for 7 days and this has really worked well, although there is still a little scaring.  I have nodules in my neck on the left side and my Oncologist has said that these would go down if the Tarceva was working and measured them, so of course I am now obsessed with these darn things.,  I go back Wednesday to have them measured again to see if Tarceva is working.  Has anyone had this experience?  Also if you are on Tarceva how long was it before you were told that it was working for you.  I look forward to any reply thank you.

 

 

Hi my husband has been on tarceva for 4 months he had a bad rash on his face and back at first but it cleared up after about 3 weeks the doctor recommended  a lotion called Lindi Skin it was a life saver it is made just for people with cancer & radiation treatments You can order it on the internet the web site is www.lindiskin.com 

                              good luck    Carrie

On 3/11/2007 Dotty wrote:

Hi,

I live in New Zealand and was diagnosed with nsclcstage 4 May 2006.  Since then I have had Chemo and had a remission of only 8 weeks.  So I started on Tarceva and have been on this for 6 weeks.  I had an awful face rash that drove me insane so my Oncologist said to stop taking the pills for 7 days and this has really worked well, although there is still a little scaring.  I have nodules in my neck on the left side and my Oncologist has said that these would go down if the Tarceva was working and measured them, so of course I am now obsessed with these darn things.,  I go back Wednesday to have them measured again to see if Tarceva is working.  Has anyone had this experience?  Also if you are on Tarceva how long was it before you were told that it was working for you.  I look forward to any reply thank you.

 

 

Hi.I am on tarceva.In sept 05 i was diagnosed with nsclc.I was immediately given 27 days of radiation,and had to wait 2 weeks befor i went on tarceva150mg In the following march the scan showed that my tumour had shrunk 70%.Brilliant. Not too sure if it was the tarceva or radiation or both.I had to wait another 3 months to have the scan and it showed the same response 70%.So now i am on tarceva every day,until my Ins Co stops paying this enormouse amount,of which i hope will not happen.The side affects i still find horendous,but i will not go into that.

I wish you well Dotti,and hope the tarceva works for you,

Goldfinger.

On 3/11/2007 Dotty wrote:

Hi,

I live in New Zealand and was diagnosed with nsclcstage 4 May 2006.  Since then I have had Chemo and had a remission of only 8 weeks.  So I started on Tarceva and have been on this for 6 weeks.  I had an awful face rash that drove me insane so my Oncologist said to stop taking the pills for 7 days and this has really worked well, although there is still a little scaring.  I have nodules in my neck on the left side and my Oncologist has said that these would go down if the Tarceva was working and measured them, so of course I am now obsessed with these darn things.,  I go back Wednesday to have them measured again to see if Tarceva is working.  Has anyone had this experience?  Also if you are on Tarceva how long was it before you were told that it was working for you.  I look forward to any reply thank you.

 

 

Hi.I am on tarceva.In sept 05 i was diagnosed with nsclc.I was immediately given 27 days of radiation,and had to wait 2 weeks befor i went on tarceva150mg In the following march the scan showed that my tumour had shrunk 70%.Brilliant. Not too sure if it was the tarceva or radiation or both.I had to wait another 3 months to have the scan and it showed the same response 70%.So now i am on tarceva every day,until my Ins Co stops paying this enormouse amount,of which i hope will not happen.The side affects i still find horendous,but i will not go into that.

I wish you well Dotti,and hope the tarceva works for you,

Goldfinger.

On 3/11/2007 Dotty wrote:

Hi,

I live in New Zealand and was diagnosed with nsclcstage 4 May 2006.  Since then I have had Chemo and had a remission of only 8 weeks.  So I started on Tarceva and have been on this for 6 weeks.  I had an awful face rash that drove me insane so my Oncologist said to stop taking the pills for 7 days and this has really worked well, although there is still a little scaring.  I have nodules in my neck on the left side and my Oncologist has said that these would go down if the Tarceva was working and measured them, so of course I am now obsessed with these darn things.,  I go back Wednesday to have them measured again to see if Tarceva is working.  Has anyone had this experience?  Also if you are on Tarceva how long was it before you were told that it was working for you.  I look forward to any reply thank you.

 

 

Hi.I am on tarceva.In sept 05 i was diagnosed with nsclc.I was immediately given 27 days of radiation,and had to wait 2 weeks befor i went on tarceva150mg In the following march the scan showed that my tumour had shrunk 70%.Brilliant. Not too sure if it was the tarceva or radiation or both.I had to wait another 3 months to have the scan and it showed the same response 70%.So now i am on tarceva every day,until my Ins Co stops paying this enormouse amount,of which i hope will not happen.The side affects i still find horendous,but i will not go into that.

I wish you well Dotti,and hope the tarceva works for you,

Goldfinger.