Torisel Success

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I have just received the results of my MRI and Pet/Cat scan and my Drs and I are so happy. After failures with Sutent, Gemzar, and Taxotere the tumors in my lungs , brain, and near my spine have shrunk in size nearly 50 percent . The primary Kidney tumor has also decreased in size about 25 percent and best of all there is no new cancer sites. I was very down about the contined failures of the drugs I tried. Torisel is working for me and the side effects have been nowhere as bad as Sutent. Its been a rough 17 months but I know have some hope whereas 17 months ago the Drs had been thinking that I would be lucky to last 4 months. My thanks to all of the posters at this site whose posts have given me hope in my fight. Geri

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Terryjoe

Dear Geri,

Gemzar and Taxotere are two new treatments I havent heard before being used for RCC. Tell me a little more about what your Oncologist told you about these treatments if possible. I checked on the net to see what I could find on them but did not find information about them being used for kidney cancer.

I had been on Sutent (more than a year), Avastin (3 months), and now Torisel (34 doses). I am only aware of Nexavar and Interlucken 2 left and then RAD 001 waiting to be approved by the FDA. I had my left kidney and adrenal gland removed during the summer of 06.

Thanks for any information; congradulations and good luck on your treatment.

Terry

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Kim_p_3

I am so encouraged by your great news. My husband is on Torisel and it seems to working on the tumors on his lungs. They have not shrunk but they have not grown. He had a tumor on his brain that actually grew some but he just received cyberknife for that. We are very optimistic and your news just gives us even more hope.

Thanks for sharing.

Kim

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Geri28

Gemzar and Taxotere are older cancer drugs that my Dr. put me on just to keep things in check while I recovered from the debilitating effects of Sutent. The Taxotere actually kept things stable for awhile but it was not covered by Medicare and may not be covered by other insurances so I doubt any Drs prescribe it anymore when there are better and newer drugs like Sutent and Torisel. Thankfully I did not have to pay for it because I did not know that it was not covered. Medicare has a formulary on what drugs they will cover for RCC and even if a chemo works they will not cover it if its not on it.

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Geri28

When I had the cyberknife on my brain tumor in September2007 I did not get a real reduction in the size of the tumor for many months. Maybe it takes that long for the radiation to have a significant effect. Even though it did not show up on the MRI I believe that having the cyberknife saved my life because the tumor was in my brainstem and would have herniated within a few weeks.

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