Erbitux Rash

<>My friend is on Erbitux every week with Avastin and Camptosar every other week. He has had the nasty rash before and they lowered his dose of Erbitux. All was going good until the last week when the rash started coming back. It's probably due to him being out in the sun more. Mowing lawn, gardening etc. Does anyone have any new remedies that have worked well for treating the rash???? He said it hurt so bad last night he couldn't lay his head on the pillow and didn't get much sleep. He has treatment again tomorrow. Most likely they will stop the Erbitux for a few weeks to let it clear up again.

 My doc had me on a low dose of minocyclyne. I still had the rash

 

Verlin

Mike,

 

I used an over the counter product called Aquaphor for the rash, but once it got into my scalp they tried a couple of dose reductions before taking me off of Erbitux altogether.  He could also change up his shampoo.  The least harsh ones are the best.  I think they had me switch to Tegrin.

 

Jack

if its any consolation, a rash is a fantastic sign on erbitux..it means your friend is responding well to the chemo.....the worse the rash the better his scan results will look!!  i was gutted because my mum is on erbitux and has no rash.  Her doc is now sending her tumours off to see if she has a -k-ras mutation.....if she does he will take her off this treatment as she will not respond to erbitux. 

Actually his is caused from being out in the sun too much.        A little rash is a good thing but a very bad one can lead to open sores which can cause infections, which isn't a good thing.

 

On 6/22/2008 Mike47 wrote:

<>My friend is on Erbitux every week with Avastin and Camptosar every other week. He has had the nasty rash before and they lowered his dose of Erbitux. All was going good until the last week when the rash started coming back. It's probably due to him being out in the sun more. Mowing lawn, gardening etc. Does anyone have any new remedies that have worked well for treating the rash???? He said it hurt so bad last night he couldn't lay his head on the pillow and didn't get much sleep. He has treatment again tomorrow. Most likely they will stop the Erbitux for a few weeks to let it clear up again.

I am on Vectibix which is similar to Erbitux.  You need to tell your friend to stay out of the sun.  That is the worse thing for the skin rash.  He needs to moisturize 2-3 times a day and drink lots of liquids. Use the highest sunblock if he HAS to go outside and cover up with longsleeve shirts/pants and hats. Yes, even in hot weather.   My doctor has me on doxycycline which is an anti biotic for acne.  It does help but I need to take it every day.  If I go off of it my face explodes. LOL  Also when my head was scabbed over and hurt like the dickens I tried using T/Gel medicated shampoo.  It did burn some but it was a good burn and it helped the pain after 2 days.  I was able to sleep better after using it for awhile.  I only use it now when my head gets real bad but normally use the Avena body wash/moisturizer as a shampoo.  This helps keep the scalp moisturized.  I hope this helps.

Jeff

I saw that someone mentioned Minocycline. Seems like it didn't work out for him but you might want to suggest that your friend discuss the possibility with his doctor. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that oral Minocycline was effective but using an acne-type cream made the rash worse. Might be worth a try?

Here's the study if you want to take a look: Randomized Double-Blind Trial of Prophylactic Oral Minocycline and Topical Tazarotene for Cetuximab-Associated Acne-Like Eruption (http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2007.12.6987 )

Take care,

Donna Myers
Guide to Colon Cancer
http://coloncancer.about.com