Acne From Erbitux

My sister is on Erbitux and Camptosar and is really broken out with acne. Has anyone had any luck treating the acne? Any help would be great!

Judith Lang – Bloch, Fachärztin für Allgemeinmedizin
Langbloch@t-online.de

I'm a doctor in Germany. I recently had a patient with severe acne after Erbitux. The drug had to be discontinued but the acne persisted. I would like to learn from you how your acne is or was, in the face and elsewhere. How the picture of this acne is.

Saw your message on Erbitux and your sister. Do you know if she has any other side effects with Erbitux. Also, I have read where it is terribly expensive. Does ins. seem to cover it.?
Is it by IV (such as chemo?)

We fly to Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, Ill. next week where the decision is to be made whether or not to go on Erbitux, Tarceva or Iressa. Big decision for me as already have such side effects with Arimidex.

I was on Iressa for nearly a year and it caused acne for 2-3 months and was not noticable noticable within 4 months.

Although the Iressa stablized the disease, it did not send it into remission. My doctor changed me to Erbitux approximately 4 weeks ago. Yikes! Acne everywhere, face, beard, torso, legs, chest--anywhere there is a hair follicle. The facial acne has already shown marked improvement. The chest acne was worst--looked like a severe case of razor burn over my entire chest and hurt like heck--and just this week (no. 05) has started to clear. On my physician's advice, the only medication I've used is over-the-counter antibiotic creams such as neosporin. No ointments and no acne treatments. His experience has been that the benzoyl and salicytic acid treatments now popular, usually make his patients' acne much worse, nearly immediately.

my wife is being treated with erbitux and only has cracks on her fingers. a friend or ours gave us a cream by mary kay that helped her maybe it will help?
MARY KAY EXTRA EMOLLIENT NIGHT CREAM

Just to add that the mary kay cream is a translucent moisturizing cream that forms a shield to minimize moisture evaporation and allow increased hydration of dryness. Dampen all areas with water then apply.

Hi

I had two erbitux treatments and my face turne red, broke out  on my nose and rest of my body with pimple like lesions. It was too intense with the radiation, so they stopped it for a while. I feel this drug has more long lasting side effects than normal chemo. It has been 4 weeks since my last chemo and I still suffer the some of side effects.  It seems to reduce some of your immunity they do not tell you about.

 

best to you in your recovery,

allen 

 

I have an extreme acne rash from Erbitux all over my face, neck, scalp, chest and back.  It showed up 2 Days after infusion.  It causes a lot of constant pain.

I discontinued the chemo 2 weeks ago and the rash has not even begun to go away.  The doctor suggested over the counter Benadryl. I have been trying it but it doesn't seem to be doing any good.

Any suggestions? How long does it take to go away? My doctor has no idea since he hasn't seen this reaction before. He just says "eventually".  Well eventually I will die and it won't matter.

Appreciate any advice

Donna

Donna,

The rash took a little over a month to go away for me. The erbitux stays in your system for about 30 days after infusion. (at least that is what my MO(medical oncologist) told me. So it will get better.

<>I had a cream that was prescribed call triamcinolone and that helped the rash heal.  I also used a little hydrocortisone cream too. And  an antibiotic lotion called clindamycin phosphate.

 I had a pretty severe reaction too. That is why I only got two infusions. However the doc said that the reaction was good. It meant that it was working. Ok, but it sure is a pain.....lol  Everything is a pain in treating this disease.

I was told that my reaction was not as severe as others.The nurse in the RO office had erbitux and they said she had the worst rash they had ever seen, acne on top of acne and lots of pain. She evidently did the whole 10 treatments anyway. After a couple months she was fine. She assured me it would heal and it did.

Hang in there and it will get better.  

Do you have radiation yet to go? 

 Allen

 

 

 

 

On 4/11/2007 Atvrider wrote:

Donna,

The rash took a little over a month to go away for me. The erbitux stays in your system for about 30 days after infusion. (at least that is what my MO(medical oncologist) told me. So it will get better.

<>I had a cream that was prescribed call triamcinolone and that helped the rash heal.  I also used a little hydrocortisone cream too. And  an antibiotic lotion called clindamycin phosphate.

 I had a pretty severe reaction too. That is why I only got two infusions. However the doc said that the reaction was good. It meant that it was working. Ok, but it sure is a pain.....lol  Everything is a pain in treating this disease.

I was told that my reaction was not as severe as others.The nurse in the RO office had erbitux and they said she had the worst rash they had ever seen, acne on top of acne and lots of pain. She evidently did the whole 10 treatments anyway. After a couple months she was fine. She assured me it would heal and it did.

Hang in there and it will get better.  

Do you have radiation yet to go? 

 Allen

 

 

 

I can not even imagine people continuing Erbitux after a severe reaction even though I have heard it so often, it kind of put me over the edge as far as chemo goes.  I swore I would not ever do anymore chemo but at the same time I realized I probably only felt that way because I was so miserable and when the rash got better I would probably change my mind  and I have.

I have only agreed to a few more months.  The cancer has come back 3 times and is now in my lung so I am going to see what the scan looks like after a couple months and then go on many little vacations with friends and family before I decide if I will do anymore.  I am so tired of this crap preventing me from living.  It has been 3 surgeries, 3 organs involved and the 3rd time around for chemo. You know what they say, three strikes your out.  I don't want to wait until I am so sick all I can do is chemo and I am too sick to travel.

Good Luck

Donna R