Iressa Medication For Nsclc

Dear Bob:
Thanks for your message. Have you ever been on celebrex with your Iressa? There's another list/serv at www.acor.org/types.html with people on Iressa that talk about celebrex too.
After you click on lung cancer then hit the letter "I" and it takes you to it. I'm sure there are people on there that would love to hear of your success. Were you a smoker? I have never been a smoker so this diagnosis came as quite shock to me. My first scan after starting Iressa my doctor called "striking" and "remarkable" but I am Stage 4 and have numerous bone mets. What stage are you? Do you have bone mets or do you know anyone with them that has had success? How long is the clinical trial where you are? Do they have any data that they share as to the longevity projections of this drug? Thanks again for writing.

Still hoping for a miracle,
Tammy D.

Bill, thanks so much for sharing this information on this drug. We have just started treatment with it after a few treatments of chemo quit working. I would like to know the type of cancer you are fighting, have you had any side effects, or down side to this drug.
thanks so much for your help. Helen

Hello Helen, I have stage IV NSCLC with mets to the bones. Iressa has a potentially fatal side effect called ILD(interstitial lung disease).I was on it for about 3 weeks when i started getting symptoms of pneumonia. By the 4th week I had an extreme shortness of breath,1/4 of my normal lung capacity. My oncologist told me about ILD so i immediately stopped the iressa. A scan of my lungs showed some type of build up or infection.Lucky for me my lungs cleared up after two weeks and I got back on the iressa while taking prednisone to keep the lungs clear. Another side effect is a rash and sometimes pimples that appear on my head, face, neck, and chest. The rash on the face was a little painful, but my oncologist informed me that a rash is a sign the iressa is working. The iressa has a 10% effectiveness rate for people using it and i think im one of those 10%'ers,hopefully!Stay positive and keep fighting! Bill S.

I have been on Iressa for about eight months and it appears that my NSCLC is holding. It has not spread but there is slight enlargement of two nodules. I have the same symptons as you, shortness of breath and rashes on my body. I have had colon cancer, kidney cancer, and cancer in my left broncus which met'zd to both lungs. I recently had an op for bladder cancer. All of these cancers were primary except for the lungs. This all started in 1996.
I recently read that the muanufacturer of Iressa stated that the medicine did not prolong life. Did you read that article. Comments?