Help Please New Chemo

Every one has been so helpfull here.thank you  David was told today eventhough his last cat scan and biopsy was clean that he needs to start chemo TODAY..He will be getting Gemzar and Taxol once a week for 3 months then re tested...Can any one tell me any thing about this trtmt ? Dr filled us in on side effects and hoped for results, but I really would like to hear from some one who has actually been there.

Thank you so much

Sandy

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Dear Sandy

I think your post has appeared on the wrong cancer thread! This one is kidney/rcc, and I think you must be intending breast/pancreatic? (I'm not sure what else Taxol and Gamzar target?!)(definintely not kidney/rcc)

All the very best to you and your family all the same - whichever form of this wretched disease is afflicting us, let's just get it out of our lives!

Best wishes Julie. 

Hi - here's some info on Gemzar

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Indiv

Looks like they do use it for bladder cancer, if that's any clue for you!

Julie

Sandy - sorry - that last one was supposed to go private mesage, but I pressed the wrong button.

Julie

Sandy

I don't know if this is the slightest use to you, but I've just seen on another KC forum that someone else is on Gemsar!

It's a forum I've only just come across, at the Kidney Cancer Association.

http://www.kidneycancer.org/

You need to join the forum (listed down the left hand side - Survivors'Forum) to read the messages, but it's as simple to join that one as it is to join this one (and I dare say some of the folks there are the same as the folks here?!!). The particular reference is in the Oncology and Drugs section the 'Please help me' thread.

The forum there looks like being yet another great source of info and 'life experiences' as this site.

(They didn't say much about Gemsar, just tht they were on it, plus another chemo drug, but did say they had a rarer type of KC - don't think they mentioned which, possibly papillary?)

Anyway, like I said, at least it's another reference for you, and there may be more info there too for you.

 All the best, Julie

Dear Sandy

I was just exploring the MD Anderson site info on Kidney Cancer, and came across this reference, which may be in of interest to you (hope it's OK to cut and past from the site) (the link is http://www.mdanderson.org/diseases/kidney/display.cfm?id=ef1

The text reads

"Chemotherapy is generally ineffective against kidney tumors, but may have a role in the treatment of metastatic tumors that have spread to the lung, bones, brain or lymph nodes. In these cases, chemotherapy would be combined with surgery or other localized therapy. A combination of gemcitabine and capecitabine to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma has been studied in several clinical trials, and other chemotherapy agents may also be analyzed for their effectiveness in treating metastases. "

Capecitabine is Gemzar (I googled it!)

I must bear this in mind for my own husband's mets.

All the best, Julie

Sorry! It's gemcitobine which is Gemzar. Also, I'm not sure when the MD Anderson info was posted, so not sure of its currency.

Best, Julie