Tarceva -

My mother has been taking Tarceva since July 05 and seems to be doing well she had a few of the side effects, she has been having problems with her eyes lately burning and sensitive to light.. Has anyone experienced this since they been on Tarceva?

Please be very careful. My husband has been on tarceva for 3 years. He has stage 4 nsclc. We just found out the Tarceva has done damage to his brain. They are not positive that the Tarceva is what caused the damage, but the odds are it is a long term side effect. They keep telling me what a miracle this drug is....I am not so sure. I think my husband has been used as a guinney pig. Please be very careful.

tami, thanks for the reply back. Well, mom went to the eye dr and they gave her some eye drops and cleaning solution that seems to be helping her out these last couple of days, i sure hope this is the case that she just had some irrtations that was going on. I sure wish you and your husband the best, and please keep me posted on how things are going. It really is nice to have the web site to educate ourselves on what other people are dealing with or how this drug has helped them

Thanks and God Bless YOu

My mom has been taking Tarceva since 9/05; the cancer reduced 92%. Her doctor monitored the symtoms, & cut the dosage to 50m a day; her rash went away without losing the positive effect of the drug. The diarrhea can be "controlled" by diet (no cheeses, no salads...) Her on-going side effect is burning, watery eyes. Eye drops seem to only to be a temporary solution. Her dtr (from Sloan) made an apt with an opth from Sloan, suggesting that Sloan would be more familiar with the side effects of Tarceva than a private opth. The apt is for mid Aug. Take care

tami, i am also taking tarceva for the past eight months. What kind of brain damage has your husband experienced?

My husband's Cancer crossed the blood/brain barrier. What that means is he has loose Cancer cells in his spinal fluid and the meninges of the brain. He had horrible headaches and they finally found the cells by doing a biopsy of the brain. That was after 8 spinal taps. The doctor keep telling me the Tarceva is the reason there is no tumors only loose cells. My husband is so sick I don’t see how that is a plus. The Cancer he has does not normally cross the blood/brain barrier. That is why I question the Tarceva. It seems to me the Cancer just finds a way to get around the drug. When my husband was diagosed he was 44, very healthy, never smoked, weighed 160 lbs. He had a small tumor in his lung, and a small tumor on a rib. That made him stage 4. I feel like the doctors should have been more aggressive in the begining instead of waiting until he was so sick that now I dont know if he has a chance anymore. Today he weighs 125 lbs and does not have the energy to walk. My advice is get multiple opinions, don't just take someone's advice because they are supposed to be the "best". Sometimes they have their own agenda's.
Take care,
Tami

Tami,
thanks for the response. i appreciate your advice and will be discussing this with both my husband and oncologist. please know that i will keep you and your husband in my prayers.

mariann

Ive been on tarceva for one year now, do I think we are gunie [sp?] pigs ? Probably, but do I have any alternatives? I am still here today to live life everyday! As far as I am concerned everyday is cream to me, Ive lost my Mom and my Sis to this cancer... Tarceva wasnt ther for them, so Im grateful for it !! The benefit outweighs the risks...... Hang in there    Love Sue