Doxil Treatment

Hi, My name is Sue. I was diagnosed in January with Stage 3B ovarian cancer. I had a complete hysterectomy, and a debulking of the omentum. I was treated for 6 months with carboplatin and taxol. My CA125 dropped to 11. I was them put on maintenance of just the taxol but had a breakthrough with CA125 of 152. They suggested doxil and I had 2 treatments and the CA125 went down to 83. The bad side of this is I have the PPE syndrome (hands and feet very very bad). There is no cure for this and they treat it with pain meds and B6. I have not had a chemo treatment in 8 weeks. Yesterday I had my first and they cut the dose by 20% and treated me with pre-meds first. I live in Pompano Beach, FL – if anyone out there has had similar experience with this or with any treatment I may not know of, please contact me on this message board. I could really use the support. Thanks, Sue

Hi Sue...

Read your E mail and while it's not exactly like mine found it similar. I was treated for ovarian cancer for 9 months - taxol and carbo - then had a 6 weeks
remission - then the cancer reappeared. Now I'm on Doxil. I've only had two
rounds - the third coming up on Oct 1. Fortunately haven't had your problem.
Doxil for the first 10 days makes me sick - vomitting all the time and extremely
weak. The doctor did say if I had any hand and foot problems would remove me from
the treatment - but that hasn't happened. I'm on pain medication, zofran, compazine
and basically anything that allows me to get up off the couch and move around.
I understand Doxil has funny effects - meaning that they may happen to me as my treatment progresses. I am scheduled to have Doxil until 2/2004.

Guess, I really am just grateful for the days I'm feeling good. Allows me pleasures
with my grandchildren as well as my adult children. I've decided since my doctor
won't allow me to return to work- to do some fun things. Planning to take
pottery/ceramics and two oil painting classes in adult school. There are some
days I just can't go - but when I do - it's really all worth the fun

Bless you -will try to keep in touch. With love and hugs to you...hang in there

- THAT'S ALL WE CAN DO !!!!

Carole T.

Carol,
I too became very weak on Doxil. I lost my appitiate. I did not have any vomiting or feeling sick. I do know that if I take any kind of pain meds, it does make me extremly ill. I wonder if your pain meds are your reason. I wiil keep you in my thoughts and prayers,
Donna

Hi Sue,
I was diagnosed with Fallopian Tube Cancer (treated as Ovarian) Stage IIIB
8-02 and after surgery was started on Carb/Taxol and stayed on that for 6
treatments. My CA125 never went lower than 200 and so after much
frustration my husband and I decided to get a 2nd opinion. We actually got
5-2nd opinions. The last Dr. we "interviewed” fit everything we were looking for in a Dr. She started me on taxotere in March '03 and after 4 treatments my CA 125 was still
at 157. Backing up just a bit, we believe that the first cancer center that did my surgery "neglected" to remove two tumors, one near the rectum and one near the uretha. (These two showed up on pre-op CT scans as well as post-op scans) The Dr. at first didn't think she wanted me to go through another surgery and wanted to try and get the counts down with chemo. In addition the one nearest the rectum could have been dangerous to
remove leaving me with a possibility of a colostomy. Finally the first of Sept.
after much consideration she determined that surgery was in my best interest.
Surgery was the best option for me and while a pathology revealed that the two
tumors had some small cancer cells in the lining of the tumors, there was no
additional cancer anywhere else in my abdomen and they were removed
without needing a colotomy. Praise the Lord!! I just had my first chemo
treatment since the surgery and I'm on Doxil. I'm a little nervous about the side
effects, especially with hearing what all the ones wrote about on this message
board. Oh well, I read a lot of info on the side-effects of taxotere and yet I had a
very easy time on that, just wish my counts had come down more. I
experienced relatively few side-effects, the worst being eye-tearing. Although
this was very troublesome, it stopped a few weeks after I ended the chemo
treatments on this. Sorry it took me so long to get to this point, but regarding
the neuropathy, I've suffered with this in both feet and hands almost since the
beginning of chemo. I did find an MD who is nutritional oriented who
suggested Lipoic Acid and Biotin. Dosage; Lipoic Acid 1,200 to 1,500 MG per
day - Biotin 3,000 mcg. per day. I'm certain that this is what has helped me a
lot. No it is not completely gone, but so much better than before. I now can at
least type on the computer and use my fingers a lot more comfortably than
ever before. Best place I've found for purchasing Lipoic Acid so you don't have
to take a zillion tabs is online at Vitacost.com. and I get the brand called
Source Naturals. There seem to be few companies that sell 300 MG tabs
each, but this one does. Well, hope this helps. Let me know how you are
doing. I really care. Some of the best "advice" I've found has been on similar
message boards. From one who's confident that the Lord can be your
strength and your hope through this "journey" we're traveling through.
Blessings, Sandy L.L. :)

I just started Doxil last week for recurrent breast cancer. I am concerned about the side effects I read, like the hand and foot problems. I am glad to hear you have not had them. Maybe I will not either. Is the tiredness from the Doxil or combo with pain meds? I know I am on a pain killer too for pains in my back where the cancer may be hiding and that knocks me out. Any advice you can give for coping with Doxil would be appreciated. Thanks and hang in there! Barbara

Dear Sandy L.,
My cancer started in the Fallopian Tube as your did and like you am being treated as an Ovarain C.patient. My story is so similar to yours. Detected 8-02, surgery, treated, 2 months "vacation" and now back for chemo and am on Doxil. I have had 4 Doxil treatments. 3 were 21 days apart and the 4th one 5 weeks apart because of itching and pain in feet. This treatment (the 4th) has gone well. I had 3 days (mostly in the evening hours and bed time) when my feet itched and were painful. I take 2 benadryl for the itch and 2 Ibuprofen for the pain. Also my feet are pealing where they were inflammed. Doxil is working for me. I am at 70 CA-125. I thank the Lord for being so near.

Hi...

Today I went in for my doctor's visit and another Doxil treatment. But it seems
that Doxil is not attacking the cancer cells as needed. My cancer CAT is rising
up to 380 and on the climb So my next step will be to take a CAT Skan - evaluate
the findings and change chemo treatment to Topopecan. Just got a read-out on the
facts and effects and I'm not quite sure what I like in reading them But since
I don't have the knowledge and not a doctor, I have to trust my current physician
and pray that the new Chemo Treatment with Topotecan will be much more effective.
This particular Chemo does not affect the hands and feet but, of course, has other
side affects which I will have to deal with. I have found with the Doxil the effects
aren't as accumulative as with Taxol and Carbo. They seem to let me have a break
at the end of the month right before I have another treatment. But that's for you who
are continuing to take Doxil I'll let you all know how Topotecan will work after
I start my new chemo in about three weeks. Thanks again for all your suppport
and remember we all have to just hang in there and make the best of our lives - which
are so precious to us all.

Love to you all .....Carole

Dear Carole,
My oncologist says if Doxil quits working he will go to Topotecan. So I think it is the way to go.
Best of wishes,
Carole

Thanks for letting me know you too are changing from doxil to topocante. Did you have a chance to read the literature on Topocante? While there seems like that other complications that are far more worse , I just have to march forward and attach the new chemo. I think the thing that bothers me most is the unknown what the chemo may bring or do to me, of if it will help at all.
Guess I can only hope I'll be presently suprised. Let me know what your experience might be. I understand that I will be taking three injections for three days and wait 21 days before repeating the process. My doctor explained that after Taxol and Carbo there are a series of Chemo drugs which they can chose from - one being Doxil another one being Topocante...he says it is his choice to pick the one he things that
will deliver the best results....if not then we will need to make a change to another drug. While it seems like a guessing game, I have to put my faith in an onocologist that has been there before. Let me know how you get along with this new drug with thanks...and blessings Carole

Hi Carole, Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I'm so-o-o-o happy that
Doxil is working for you and that your CA125 is at 70! I too thank the Lord for all
that He has blessed me with, and for how good I'm feeling. My CA 125 two
weeks ago was down to 66 from 147 right after surgery on 9-12-03. I just
finished my 2nd treatment on Doxil two weeks ago. I go every 4 weeks for
treatment and am wondering when the problems with itching and pain began
for you? I've had a lot of problems with nausea lasting much longer than the
Dr. expected. Sometimes it has hung around for two weeks after the
treatment. I'm given meds during the infusion for nausea and then compazine,
ativan and zofran after to help. I really can't complain too much, because there
has been no vomiting just nausea. I've noticed that since the last round of
chemo (taxotere) my appetite has decreased so in order not to lose weight I
just make myself eat in spite of it. Sometimes I really have to be "creative" and
fix different kinds of meals to "perk up" my appetite. So far it's working and I
haven't lost any weight. I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining, just giving
you an idea of how I'm doing Please do the same. I really am so grateful to
the Lord for doing as well as I'm doing. I'm able to do a lot, have little fatigue,
and most of all am able to enjoy my Lord, my family and all my grandkids as
never before!!! I praise Him for His bountiful supply!!! If you want you can
email me at home (or the message board). I live in Calif. where do you live? Talk to ya later. My continued prayers are with
you that your CA125 keeps moving on down!!!!! Love ya, Sandy L.