CancerCompass message board discussion started by jeanne2008 on 4/25/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,23440,0.htm Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ my mom was just dianosed with pan can with mets to liver on 4/17/09.  She met  with the oncolgist, and he recommended Gemzar, but not Teraceva.Can anyone enlighten as to why one but not the other.  'what are benefits of one over the other?What is life expectency when with these drugs.   jeanne2008 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 4/25/2008 jeanne2008 wrote:my mom was just dianosed with pan can with mets to liver on 4/17/09.  She met  with the oncolgist, and he recommended Gemzar, but not Teraceva.Can anyone enlighten as to why one but not the other.  'what are benefits of one over the other?What is life expectency when with these drugs.  Hi - hope all is going well with your Mom.I had Pancreatic Cancer and had the Whipple Procedure done August 2006. I did 6 weeks of radiation then started chemo.I have been on GEMZAR and 5FU since October of 2006 and just started taking Xeloda 6 weeks ago.All seems to be going ok so far other then the normal aches, pains and side effects......Prayers out to your Mom and you. God bless and take care.  mrtippy Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT My Dad has PC and his oncologist told us the same thing.  He explained to us that the side affects of Tarceva are much harsher than Gemzar, and the benefit would not be that great in my Dad's case.  He said that the goal with chemo is to give Dad a better quality of life - not quantity, and giving him Tarceva would defeat that purpose.  (My Dad's PC recurred after Whipple May 31, 2007.)Hope this helps.  My heart goes out to you and your family! in Search of Answers Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT I forgot to add that my Dad's oncologist has not given my Dad an estimate on life expectancy.  The only thing he said when asked the question is that Gemzar may add "months" but not "years" to Dad's life. in Search of Answers Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Jeanne, so sorry to hear about your Mom. My husband has Pancreatic Cancer and had radiation and is having Gemzar plus they want him to do tarceva,too. Not sure what we will be able to do because of the cost of tarceva. We are trying to get help with this now and hope that some thing will work out.  As far as life expect, everyone is different. There is so much info out there that is to much to take in. But I find I want to know as much as I can so I can ask the right questions when we meet with my husband doctor's. so keep asking the questions and keep up your spirits because I am a cancer surviver twice and I thank god every day! Keep the faith and god bless you and your Mom ladyann Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT My Mother has been on Gemzar for 4 months now for Stage IV PC, her CA19.9 numbers went down dramatically over those 4 months (although not nearly to the normal range - they went from 276,000 in the beginning to 9,000 at the best and are now back up to 30,000). Her Oncologist added Tarceva to the mix because he said that her body became immune to just the Gemzar.  She's been on Tarceva for 2 weeks now and has broken out in a terrible rash on her face (which is said to be common).  She has not been given an life expectancy time frame, but her doctor said that tarceva was the next step.  I've done a lot of research ont heir site and they have links to foundations that will help with payment of this very expensive treatment.  Just go to www.tarceva.com cml1016 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT