Tarceva for stage 4 lung cancer
Common Questions and Answers about Tarceva for stage 4 lung cancer
tarceva
Asians, women, non-smokers, and those with adenocarcinoma histology. This drug still has been found to benefit males, smokers, and those with squamous cell histology, but to a lesser extent.
I was in remission from Non small Carcanoma of the Lung (Stage 3A) for 4 yrs. until this past April...I was then diagnoised with NSCC of the other lung, they found a tumor on the Junction of the upper and lower lobe of the left lung. At the time of the procedure it messured 1.3 cm at the time of being placed on Tarceva the measurment 1.9 cm with in three wks after surgery in April.
Placed on Tarceva the first of May and No incress in growth...Doctors say Stable Remission...
My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer (non small cell) back in July. He has been through several chemo and radiation treatments and is now starting on Tarceva. It has been a long road so far and he has his good days and bad days. I don't think there's any way even the doctors can tell us how much time they have left specifically. His doctor said it could be a year, 5 or even 10, but of course we are all hoping and praying for at least 20 more with him.
Hello I am a caretaker. My client was diagnose with lung cancer stage IV. It has already spread to the spine, both lungs and the lymph system. Doctors triede Tarceva for 3 weeks but her body had a very bad reaction. For the spine they did radiotherapy. But since she was diagnose 3 months ago she has lost aalmost her voice. she is using oxygen for the major part of the day but doctors don't wan't to talk about time. no more medes will be given and she was reffer to hospice....
Hi,
Your concerns are valid. Lung cancer is afterall, the biggest cause of cancer mortality. For this post, I can only work with the stage information, your doctor likely has better estimates.
Much of the answer here depends on how much the disease is affecting her daily living. If she stays in bed most of her waking hours, then treatment may only make an impact on symptom improvement. If she is able to maintain a fairly active lifestyle – then treatment may help extend survival .
Hi There...
I have had a upper right lobectomy on Sept 14 2001.Stage 1A BAC lung cancer...no chemo or no radiation..clear margins and no lymph node involvement.. ..it's been a little over five years now. cancer free. PRAISE GOD...and thou I realize that 5 yrs is maybe the magic number for most lung cancer survivor's...is it also meant for BAC Lung Cancer...I have heard not so....
Thank you for any information you can give me....
At the time they saw no sign of cancer outside the lung. Now, however, after 4 rounds of chemotherapy the disease seems to have spread during treatment with taxotere and cisplatin: it's now in the liver, bones and adrenal glands. His original tumor was EGFR positive that is why Tarceva came up as a viable second step. The doctors are now hestiant to give it to him, though, because they are not sure if the problems caused by his bone mets could handle treatment by Tarceva.
In general, this would represent the recommended treatment options for lung cancer. There are no clear guides as what drug is best after 3 lines of therapy, hence the reluctance to recommend any treatment.
I am also guessing that the adrenal involvement cannot be removed with surgery, hence, this is not given as an option. You are right, that there are some people who even have brain involvement and undergo surgery, but these cases are really the exceptions more than the rule.
Edema (fluid accumulation in any body part, resulting in swelling) has been reported as an adverse event in 37% of pancreatic cancer patients taking Tarceva, although this side effect has not been reported in lung cancer cases.
However, the type of edema associated with Tarceva use is either generalized or involves a swelling of both legs. Swelling in only one leg may not be due to this drug. Unilateral leg swelling may be due to a local infection (cellulitis) in that area.
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. Prior to the finding the mets, they were planning 6 weeks of radiation to the right lung in combination with etoposide and cisplatin.
I'd appreciate any feedback. My thanks in advance to all responses....
Hi. Which particular "chemosensitivity test" are you referring to? There is no single laboratory procedure which can test for the sensitivity to chemotherapy of all types of tumors. In breast cancer, there's the Estrogen Receptor (ER) and Progesterone Receptor (PR) assays to determine sensitivity to hormonal treatment. There's also the HER-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) assay for determining sensitivity to Trastuzumab.
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)….
I SO appreciate all of the advice! Well, I should come clean with something...last Sept I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Inoperable, i was given 6 months to a year to live... with treatment. I've THANKFULLY made it past a year. i guess the LAST thing i should be worried about is my weight, right? The pain i get daily is from my chemo medicine, Tarceva. Along with some other side effects. Losing my hair was bad enough but putting on 20lbs killed me!
my 83 year old aunt was dx with stage IV Lung CA 2 months ago, it was seen on CT back in May and we have been told it has doubled in size in the past 6 months. 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.
My mother was diagnozed with nscl cancer stage 4 with 1 lung collapsed and cancer was found in back bone also, docters started geftinib and the results were amazing...she seems a normal person now but complains of weakness only, from inside i am always worried . how much time she have( in months) ? will she be a normal person again ? should we tell her?...
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