information on Tarceva

This is for anyone on Tarceva. I have some questions about Tarceva and was wondering if you could help. My partner's mom has been diagnosed with NSCLC. She is a non-smoker. The doctors say that the cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes but otherwise clear. She is right now on chemo as surgery has been ruled out as an option. We are exploring the possibility of giving her Tarceva and have discussed it with the doctor. The doctors would be coming back to us on it after ascertaining whether she can be given Tarceva. I was searching the internet and found a lot of warnings for the drug. Has there been any problems because of Tarceva for you? I have found a lot of cancer survivors from the last stage to remission being on Tarceva. That gives us hope but since she is an emotionally weak person and a diabetic, we are just weighing the possibility. If you could please share your experiences, It will be of great help.

 Thanks

- V

On 6/6/2009 toasttolife wrote:

This is for anyone on Tarceva. I have some questions about Tarceva and was wondering if you could help. My partner's mom has been diagnosed with NSCLC. She is a non-smoker. The doctors say that the cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes but otherwise clear. She is right now on chemo as surgery has been ruled out as an option. We are exploring the possibility of giving her Tarceva and have discussed it with the doctor. The doctors would be coming back to us on it after ascertaining whether she can be given Tarceva. I was searching the internet and found a lot of warnings for the drug. Has there been any problems because of Tarceva for you? I have found a lot of cancer survivors from the last stage to remission being on Tarceva. That gives us hope but since she is an emotionally weak person and a diabetic, we are just weighing the possibility. If you could please share your experiences, It will be of great help.

 Thanks

- V

Tarceva does have some side effects like everything else but they are minor compared to the IV chemos and treatable.  The main ones are nausea, diarrhea, and rash.

If the doctors come back and say you can't try the tarceva, find out why.  If they tell you it is not a first line treatment, they are right, it isn't.  BUT it can still be used as first line and is done all the time.  If you really want her to try it, push them for it.  If you can't afford it, there is assistance from the manufacturer.

Let us know what they say.  I was diagnosed stage 4, tumors in both lungs, in October 2006 so it is survivable.  And the only treatment I have ever had is Tarceva.

Good luck and God Bless 

Thanks heaps for the reply. We'll definitely keep you updated on what the doctors decide. I am extremely Happy for you and hope she recovers well too. She is extremely distressed about the whole thing and her hair loss (has completely lost hair after the first chemo) has affected her a lot emotionally. But she is positive and very co-operative. She is due for the second chemo this weekend, so we should hear from the doctors by then. Her blood count has started improving again after the first chemo so that's good. We really hope she gets better soon. Has been a very very tough time.

 Thanks again,

-  V

Have a "girls day out".  Take her to lunch and then go shopping for a wig.  She'll have fun trying them all on.  Even look for some fancy scarves she can wear around the house.  Just because she has cancer doesn't mean  she doesn't want to look nice and that alone will raise her spirits.

Good luck and God Bless

I have been on Tarceva for five years.  The only side effect I have experienced is the diarreah and it is intermittant. I have NSCLC - Unknown Primary. 

I too lost my hair after my first chemo treatment, and it was such a shock for me.  I had thick, curly, "big hair" and to go from that to bald was so shocking. After a couple of weeks, I began to like my bald head.  It was much easier to get ready in the morning  :), and believe it or not, my 17 year old daughter came home one day with a shaved head.... to make me feel better.  After that, I had a major reality check.  A 17 year old girl, preparing to graduate, go to proms, etc. shaved her head to show me it was okay and a bald head wasn't the worst thing in the world.  The message came across to me loud and clear....  outward appearance isn't everything, and a bald head is minor compared to everything else we were going through.

After my hair loss, a friend gave me a book called "Lynn, Front to Back".  It is a story about a woman who was a model, who is fighting breast cancer. Not really a "reading" book, but a brief story that touches your heart.  It was very inspirational for me and made me realize once again that outward appearance is very over-rated.  It might be something to consider as a gift for her.

Mostly, being supportive is the best thing you can do for her right now. She will get through all of this.

On 6/6/2009 toasttolife wrote:

This is for anyone on Tarceva. I have some questions about Tarceva and was wondering if you could help. My partner's mom has been diagnosed with NSCLC. She is a non-smoker. The doctors say that the cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes but otherwise clear. She is right now on chemo as surgery has been ruled out as an option. We are exploring the possibility of giving her Tarceva and have discussed it with the doctor. The doctors would be coming back to us on it after ascertaining whether she can be given Tarceva. I was searching the internet and found a lot of warnings for the drug. Has there been any problems because of Tarceva for you? I have found a lot of cancer survivors from the last stage to remission being on Tarceva. That gives us hope but since she is an emotionally weak person and a diabetic, we are just weighing the possibility. If you could please share your experiences, It will be of great help.

 Thanks

- V

V, I have been on Tarceva 47 months.  Yes, 4 yrs next month.  I was diagnosed with Stage 4 NSCLC in Feb 05 when a brain met went thru my skull.  This met was removed surgically and the area around it radiated.  I then took 15 weeks of standard chemo, and at the end of that I started Tarceva.  It was rough at first, and I had all the side effects listed.  Subsequently I had a lower spinal met radiated, a couple in my chest radiated plus the original lung tumor, and then in Sept 06, I had another brain met, but every other part of my body had no active cancer.  The second brain met was surgically removed, and directionally radiated.  No whole brain radiation despite what the docs said.  Well here I am over 4 years later, and all the harsh treatment has been worth it.  The last four years has been such a blessing.  I get up each morning saying I"m giving cancer a punch in the nose.  The side effects are just part of the battle, and surviving and living with them is a personal victory.  I'm 70 and here another day thank God.  NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF CANCER YOU HAVE OR WHAT STAGE IT IS IN, THERE IS HOPE.  DON'T LET ME FORGET THE BEST MEDICINE OF ALL.  EARNEST PRAYER, AND A LOT OF IT BY A LOT OF GOOD FOLKS.

Hang in there.  Life after cancer is different, but it can make you a better person, and it has its own rewards.

Ed

500smwhr & egdaph10,

U know what? You are such a winner!! Really, you have really kicked
this cancer out of your life in more ways than one..Kudos to you.. My
sincere Prayers and Good wishes are with you...

500smwhr, You are such a proud
mother too...God Bless! Yes, I will definitely look for that book.

I say this again and again, I think the best
thing I did was to become a member of these forums. I have got to know
about so many people, their perserverance and am learning a lot..I am
28 but life has taught a lot..Yes, outward appearance is definitely not everything. Have understood that completely..

 I will definitely not forget to pray, with all sincerety and I wish good health and a long happy life for you both..GOD BLESS!

Thanks Heaps for the replies everyone,

It means a world to me.

My husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer with metastasis to the bones 10 months ago and was told that the prognosis is about a year. After 3 chemo failed, the oncologist swirched it to Tarceva, which was also offered to him as clinical trial ( but later was decided to try chemo first). After a month there was marked improvement of his tumor markers. Two months after showed that the size of the tumor decreased and pleural effusion has not reaccumulated.He is on seventh month on Tarceva and it will be a year next month when he was first diagnosed.He is active and doing as much as he can although he is is now on permanent disability.

He suffers on of from peripheral neuropathy ( toes especially) , dry eyes, back pain ( from the bone mets) occasional diarrhea and the pimple like rashes to his face, chest, back thighs. But the side effects are less compared to when he was receiving IV chemotheraphy.

For the neuropathy, I give him massage every night and that relaxes him so he can sleep. I have to give him a sleeping aid because during the night is when he feels the side effects most. It is important that the body is rested so it can rejuvinate itself. For Back pain control , he takes Vicodin twice a day.

I try to give him as much vegetables and fish in his diet and supplement it with multivitamins, including antioxidants called SANGO ( from mangosteen)

I am a nurse and I believe that a patient is to be treated holistically. Praying and being close to God has helped boost his spirits. We go to a prayer support group once a month. We are Catholics, so our family pray the rosary everyday. Somehow praying together has helped our family to deal with this crisis .We are going to Lourdes this August and hope the healing waters will do him good. From time to time he gets anxious but going to church almost everyday somehow makes him a lot better.

I hope this helps you.