Good Report With Tarceva

Hello everyone.....i got results back from ct scans and it seems like all tumors are shrinking and getting smaller. I am so excited. I go back in 4 weeks to be checked again. I have stage 4 nsclc. It seems like the tarceva is working for me very well. The rash is still here and has gone to the loiwer part of body........but as long as tumors are getting smaller i can deal with the rash and thinning hair.................good luck to everyone

 

On 12/17/2007 joicie wrote:

Hello everyone.....i got results back from ct scans and it seems like all tumors are shrinking and getting smaller. I am so excited. I go back in 4 weeks to be checked again. I have stage 4 nsclc. It seems like the tarceva is working for me very well. The rash is still here and has gone to the loiwer part of body........but as long as tumors are getting smaller i can deal with the rash and thinning hair.................good luck to everyone

Joicie, I just wanted to say congratulations to you and your success w/ Tarceva. My dad is currently on Tarceva also. He has his scan in Jan. and I hope and pray we have the same results. He has NSCLC stage 3b maybe stage 4 by now. He is doing really good on the tarceva, we are thankful for that too. I hope you have continued good news, and my prayers are with you. Good luck to you, and may 2008 be your year!

 

 

On 12/17/2007 joicie wrote:

Hello everyone.....i got results back from ct scans and it seems like all tumors are shrinking and getting smaller. I am so excited. I go back in 4 weeks to be checked again. I have stage 4 nsclc. It seems like the tarceva is working for me very well. The rash is still here and has gone to the loiwer part of body........but as long as tumors are getting smaller i can deal with the rash and thinning hair.................good luck to everyone

Have been on Tarceva since August 2006 with the disease(Stage 4) held in check. Myt specific cellular type is bronchiolaralveolar which apparantly is one with a higher response. You might check this with your oncologist. My diarrhea is fairly well controlled with imodium. My skhin itchy with obvious drying and with multiple fissuring of the skin of fingers and palms. The latter especially noted with the cold weather. My fingernails grow very slowly and split/break readily

 

On 12/17/2007 joicie wrote:

Hello everyone.....i got results back from ct scans and it seems like all tumors are shrinking and getting smaller. I am so excited. I go back in 4 weeks to be checked again. I have stage 4 nsclc. It seems like the tarceva is working for me very well. The rash is still here and has gone to the loiwer part of body........but as long as tumors are getting smaller i can deal with the rash and thinning hair.................good luck to everyone

Hi Joicie, im really happy to hear about your results, my mums on stage 4 with NSCLC, and she has had a really bad rash with tarceva.  She has been on it for like 4months now but i really dont know whats happening.  The docs have said her cancer is at the exact same place it hasnt gone worse or better but is stable......i just wanted to know how long you have had cancer for? and whether you took chemotherapy and radiotherapy??  All the best for the future .

My mom was dx with NSCLC stage 4 in 2/06, and she had mets to both lungs, brain and bone, but had no symptoms, just some shoulder pain.  She had 6 sessions of chemo and 4 whole brain radiation treatments.  The oncologist said we're just giving her quality not quantity of life.  She started on Tarceva, I believe, a year ago, and has a slight rash.  Her scans show stable (no growth at all) or minimal growth.  But since she was already a stage 4 at dx, short of a miracle, stable or minimal growth is what we're going to have to be happy with.  Yes cancer sucks, no matter what type, how big or small your tumors are and sometimes the treatments suck even more then the disease itself.  It's very hard to watch a vivacious 185 pound, 60 year old woman shrink down to 140 pounds and sleep 23 out of 24 hours a day, because of her chemo treatments.  Be a pest and ask your mom's oncology lots of questions until you fully understand the answer.  Put their number on your speed dial and call every time you have a question, no matter how small.  Leave message after message until your questions are answered to your satisfaction.  Believe me, the entire Oncology department at Kaiser in San Diego knows me quite well, and gets back to me fairly quickly.  BE A PEST! :)

 

On 1/26/2008 Motherhen wrote:

My mom was dx with NSCLC stage 4 in 2/06, and she had mets to both lungs, brain and bone, but had no symptoms, just some shoulder pain.  She had 6 sessions of chemo and 4 whole brain radiation treatments.  The oncologist said we're just giving her quality not quantity of life.  She started on Tarceva, I believe, a year ago, and has a slight rash.  Her scans show stable (no growth at all) or minimal growth.  But since she was already a stage 4 at dx, short of a miracle, stable or minimal growth is what we're going to have to be happy with.  Yes cancer sucks, no matter what type, how big or small your tumors are and sometimes the treatments suck even more then the disease itself.  It's very hard to watch a vivacious 185 pound, 60 year old woman shrink down to 140 pounds and sleep 23 out of 24 hours a day, because of her chemo treatments.  Be a pest and ask your mom's oncology lots of questions until you fully understand the answer.  Put their number on your speed dial and call every time you have a question, no matter how small.  Leave message after message until your questions are answered to your satisfaction.  Believe me, the entire Oncology department at Kaiser in San Diego knows me quite well, and gets back to me fairly quickly.  BE A PEST! :)

Hoping that all is still 'well' with your mother.  I have been on Tarceva for 2 months;150 mg for one month and dropping to 100mg the second month because of significant rash problems.  The first rash was the worst - involved my eyes, eyelids, face and even an inflammation inside my mouth.  The rashes have moved to my back now , and some have been severe.  The RX for hydrocortisone 2.5% seems to help the most.  My oncologist has had me stop treatment for 2 or 3 days at a time to let my body rest, and that does make a difference.  I will have a CT/PT scan tomorrow to measure the progress of the tumor which is in the lymph nodes between the lungs.  I previously  was Stage 3A amd had chemo/radiation & VATS surgery (removing upper right lobe and 7 lymph nodes) last spring & summer.  Then in December of '07 a CT showed a new tumor again.  I am also a Kaiser patient in Ventura.  Several procedures and surgery were done at LA. I have also lost weight - from 164 to 130, and seem unable to regain at least some  of it. Since Tarceva I have more energy especially in the morning, but do spend alot of time napping in the afternoon.   I am curious regarding the Tarceva mg dosage  that your mother is taking, and how you are controlling the rash.  Has she had CT/PT scans to measure her progress?  .Thank you for your time, good daughter!  .