Tarceva and brain mets

Common Questions and Answers about Tarceva and brain mets

tarceva

Avatar n tn A good friend was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the right lung at the end of Dec 2007. An mri this week shows 7 tumors in the brain. She has not started any chemo/radiation yet. She is 52 and in good health. I lost a brother to a brain tumor so understand the severity of the mets. I'm doing research as quickly as I can to help she and her husband make an informed decision about what to do...if anything. The local drs are recommending 4 weeks of full brain radiation followed by tarceva.
Avatar n tn 4 rounds of chemo of taxotere and cisplatin seem to have not worked as now he has mets in his liver, bones and adrenal glands. His doctor is aftraid that Tarceva is not recommended to someone with mets to the bone. That is not what I read. Can you please let me know if Tarceva is for him and whether that can hep stop or slow down the disease? Thanks.
Avatar m tn He started Tarceva this January but it seems it did not work as the cancer spread to brain…. 9 mets were identified in the initial MRI 2 weeks ago but the subsequent MRI right before yesterday’s gamma knife procedure (which removed 7 mets) evidenced numerous other tiny/small tumors spread all over the brain….He has been in relatively good condition (eating well, no weight loss) until these new mets emerged (which affected his walking and reading ability)….
Avatar n tn When my mom started the Tarceva, she had cancer on her lungs, liver and brain. She had radiation on her brain and along with the Tarceva, that cleared up. It also took away the tumor on her liver and two of the tumors on her lungs. The other two tumors on her lungs shrunk in half. I hope this helps. Like I said, she had to go to a University hospital and join a clinical trial. Her first doctor read her scan and gave her 6 months to live and said have a nice day.
Avatar f tn Hi, My 69 year old Dad has stage 4 Lung nsc cancer that he has been battling for over 2 years with good results from first Tarceva, then Chemo and prior to that radiation to mets to his brain. He is an otherwise healthy, robust, nonsmoking person. Last month he started experiencing problems walking, nausea and headaches. He was referred to a Neurologist who recommended a Shunt to help regulate the fluid in his brain. It has been a nightmare ever since.
Avatar f tn If the node is positive for cancer metastases, this may imply disease progression in spite of Tarceva intake. Tarceva may have to be replaced with another more effective chemotherapy drug. Radiation therapy to shrink the node and relieve the swelling may also have to be done. Consult with your oncologist as soon as possible so you can be properly assessed.
Avatar n tn My best friend had breast cancer mets first to the optic nerve and then throughout the brain. I understand ovca and breast cancer are considered somewhat similar. Best~ d.
Avatar n tn But I read on here about others who had Lung cancer that went to the Adrenal Gland and brain etc. and they had surgery or radiation? Also do you know of a Doctor up here near Buffalo New York other than Roswell Hospital that we could go for a second opinion.? Thanks for your help!
365470 tn?1232747095 Is your husband participating in a clinical trial? Sutent and Tarceva have some similar side effects, which is a rash and diarrhea, however patients who have hypertension may have problems with blood pressure on Sutent. Alternatively, perhaps there was simply some misunderstanding when the doctor was discussing the treatment.
Avatar n tn Have you come across any cases of rashes caused by Tarceva and further treatment? Or do you have any recommendations for what to do? My next dermatology appointment is not until September but I feel like there should be something more my team should be doing.
Avatar n tn Hi, The PET scan would tell us about the metastasis to other organs in the body and a brain scan would tell about whether there is brain metastasis or not and its extent. You should discuss this in detail with your doctor too, this would alter the plan of management to some extent depending on the results. Regards.
Avatar n tn Either by scans or by symptoms. Some Oncologists do routine interval scans and some do not. There is no proof that length of survival is increased when mets is found by scan than if discovered after symptoms appear. I personally don't care to live my life worrying about the next PET scan or Bone scan but it's a personal decision. Regards ....
435985 tn?1249067908 s father was diagnosed about 1 month ago with small cell lung cancer with mets to the hips and spine. They also saw a spot on his brain and think that is also probably cancer. He is about to start up his second round of chemo next week. Im just wondering how and when they will try to treat the brain cancer (if it is indeed cancer). Could there a possibility that it isn't cancer? He is a healthy man otherwise and seems to be doing well so far (from what I hear).
Avatar m tn Mets stands for metabolic equivalent of task and is a measurement of your overall conditioning. 1 met is the amount of energy expended by your body at rest. You achieved 8.6 mets on your stress test which is considered good and represents stage 2 of the Bruce Protocol. Typically, anything between 7 - 9 mets is good and 10 or more is very good. Your EF of 50 is on the low side of normal as well. EF% is the amount of blood pumped from the heart on each beat with normal being 55-75 +/- 5.
402689 tn?1201578212 2 Inoperable RCC brain tumors 7mm & 11mm to pons area/brain stem were treated with CyberKnife on 9/25 and 10/2/07. No real problems, Last MRI done 12/27/07 tumors appeared to be larger, 13mm & 10mm, some subsequent edema/dizziness took additional steroids, stopped > 3 weeks ago. CONCERN Numbness to right side of head/face/neck right forearm/hand & right ankle/foot has occurred within last week. Called the doc this week and they said to just take it easy.
Avatar n tn She is not a candidate for treatment and is refusing even palliative tx such as Tarceva. PET Scan showed no evidence of cancer in brain, liver or bone. Because she is experiencing no symptoms she is hesistant to participate in a home hospice program. What symptoms are generally experienced and if possible a general timeline for disease progression.
Avatar f tn Hi Fran, I posted to Kimmie before her surgery, prayers and well wishes and that I would help after her hysterectomy with her brain mets with any information I could provide from my experiences. I will make sure I check the forum everyday for her. She knows that I am here for her. And of course Rose also. My prayers and thoughts are with Kimmie.
Avatar f tn Within a month, the breast cancer started in her skin around the site of the node. She now has a red rash (skin mets) in approx half of her chest wall and is getting Chemo (Xeloda) and Herceptin. My question is, the skin is beginning to "harden" around the node removal surgery site. What does this mean? Any other comments on Skin mets would be greatly appreciated.
Avatar f tn Dx Jan 2003 idc,+ DCIS, 2 cm tumour, stage/grade 2. 3/18 nodes+. WLE ,total axillary removal. 6 FEC chemo, 25 rads.Mondor's disease dx 2005. Arimidex 4 yrs, recently stopped due to bone pain, hips, hands,feet. Waiting to see Onc. for alternative AI adjuvant meds. Bisphosphs wkly,bone density loss ,as osteopenic.
Avatar n tn In 2005, he had Tarceva. In 2008 they discovered metastasis to the liver (3 lesions) and he underwent chemo again (I think Avastin) and he finished the treatment in March. The doctor said the tumors in both the lungs and liver were smaller. For the past 3 weeks he´s been vomiting, but sporadically. There is no pattern. It doesn´t matter if he eats lightly or heavily. Some days he vomits once, some days nothing. He went to see a Gastroenterologist. They did a sonogram...
642877 tn?1281799282 AGE (years) # METS (moderate) #METS (hard) # METS (very hard) 20-39 4.8 - 7.1 7.2 - 10.1 >10.2 40-64 4.0 - 5.9 6.0 - 8.4 >8.5 65-70 3.2 - 4.7 4.8 - 6.7 >6.8 80 and over 2.0 - 2.9 3.0 - 4.25 >4.25 For women, mean values are 1 - 2 METS lower than for men.
Avatar n tn Exercising at a moderate intensity, which is important for weight loss, is estimated to be 4-6 METs, and to be beneficial for the heart would be a heart rate that is 220 minus age and 80 to 60% would be the upper and lower range and the METs associated with that reading to be the safe and the most effective range for one's heart. Your MET calculation would be the acceptable rate according to your physiology monitored during the test.
Avatar f tn //www.brainmetsbc.
Avatar f tn What a nightmare. This is a devastating problem. Brain mets are very rare. It sounds like she has had appropriate treatment. The fact that there are multiple tumors and new ones keep developing means that there is a significant break in the blood brain barrier and cancer cells are coming across. I agree with the doctor's recommendation for chemotherapy that can across the blood brain barrier such as CPT 11.
Avatar m tn my wife just turned 57. in october, she was dx'd with stage iv lung ca, with mets to the brain & bone. she had radiation on her brain, & began her chemo the first week of january. she started taking morphine 60 mgs 2x daily & ddlaudid 4mgs 2x daily. i have been told so many different things, for a while now, she has been dropping things & hasn't been able t use her finger for anything. i button her shirts & help her with socks. she puts on her pants & shoes.
Avatar n tn Cyberknife is used primarily for mets or primary cancer of the brain where one small area can be dealt with by this method. When there has been mets to the abdominal organs, Chemo is usually the treatment of choice. I'm sure there has been sufficient testing done in order for the Dr.s to know that the stomach and liver are involved and these are areas that could not be "cut out" by the cyberknife technique.