Tarceva for squamous cell lung cancer

Common Questions and Answers about Tarceva for squamous cell lung cancer

tarceva

Avatar n tn Tarceva can be given as a single agent after failure of first-line or second-line chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. However, Tarceva works best for certain subsets of patients: 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.
365470 tn?1232747095 Its squamous cell lung cancer, NSLC . he has one lung, which was removed 3 years ago, this has come back as a secondary cancer, they have started him on Tarceva and then chemo, but the oncologist said no radiation, as this type of cancer does not respond well to radiation. But thats not what I am seeing on the net, the mass has encased the veins of the aorta.
Avatar n tn My sister in law was diagnosed with non small cell carcinoma of the lung 14 months ago. She is only 53 and quit smoking 15 years ago. She has done very well with chemo and radiation until recently. She was started on Tarceva about 3 weeks ago. Recently, she has been experiencing a lot of confusion. I cannot find anywhere that this is a side effect of Tarceva (it is the only drug she is on at this time). Is it possible that she has a brain metastases? If not, what are the likely causes.
Avatar n tn my husband has just been told he has non small cell lung cancer how long does he have ?
Avatar n tn how can i get doctor to prescribe tarceva for inoperable lung cancer with secondary brain cancer has recieved one chemo session for lung then 5 radiotherapy for brain...help??????
Avatar n tn Survival for squamous cell carcinoma is better than that for large cell carcinoma and small cell lung cancer, though slightly worse than for adenocarcinoma. Hope this helps.
Avatar n tn My father who is now 83 yres old is diagnosed with non small cell cancer with a large 3 inch mass in his upper right side. They state it is somewhere between a stage 2 and 3 due to the size. He is schedules to start radiation treatment in a week. However, they did state he is fit enough to have sugery but there is not guarantee he would not have complications from this. We are struggling to determine what is the better path to take. Will the surgery give him a better chance vs the radiation.
365470 tn?1232747095 Another drug is sutent, which targets the blood vessel too but is oral. Sutent is still undergoing evaluation though, for lung cancer. 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 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.
676912 tn?1332812551 He was diagnosed with squamous cell and adenocarcinoma, he has a spot in his brain as well. So if it is cancer, is it lung cancer that has spread to his brain or brain cancer as well?
506791 tn?1439842983 It is true that there is quite a difference between small cell and large cell lung cancer. Large cell is "slower" or I guess you could day less aggressive. There are drugs now that starve the tumor of blood flow like Tarceva. As far as the time a person has left to live, none of us know the answer to that question...
Avatar f tn 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.
Avatar n tn Thanks for your response. To clarify: his treatment was adjunctive. 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.
Avatar f tn My father was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer in his lungs 2 years ago and my grandmother on mothers side died from lung cancer also. This really bothers me. I have been on 4 rounds of different antobiotics, nasal sprays,mucinex dm, xyzal,delsem, robitussin, prednezone and I also take protonix for gerd. Nothing seems to work I am 37 years old and for the most part have been healthy. I had a chest X-ray last May 07. showed nothing then. Should I be worried.
Avatar f tn 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....
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.
329994 tn?1301663248 I just got back the results of skin biopsies and I have one that turned out to be cancer, but it is basal cell carcinoma. So why do I have squamous cells in my urine and what should I do about that? Thank you for any help.
Avatar n tn I recently was diagnosed (accidentally I might add) with a large Squamous Cell Carcinoma on my right hand extending to last two fingers. It has been surgically removed and a full thickness skin graft performed with additional lump removal (from left forearm) and 9 biopsies also done during recovery time. The skin graft site has healed well, but three weeks after surgery a new wound opened up to the side of the skin graft.
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 f tn 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....
Avatar m tn My 15 year old cat "Q" who is otherwise very healthy, has squamous cell carcinoma on the left side of his nose. Since having a biopsy, the spot has grown larger and more angry looking. I took him to a specialist vet in my area, who told me that it was difficult to give a determination of risks vs rewards of excision and flap graft, rather than letting the cat continue in his otherwise happy circumstance. Can you advise?
438514 tn?1305734140 Hi There, can you please get a copy of the pathology report and type it in here? It would be very unusual to have a squamous cell cancer of the ovary.
Avatar n tn The good news is the prognosis for cats with Squamous cell carcinoma is much better than it is for other types of cancer. If the cancer is treated early enough, squamous cell carcinoma in cats is usually treatable. In most cats with skin Squamous cell carcinoma, the prognosis following surgery is excellent. It is promising that the affected area is small. It is a much better prognosis than for nose, ears or mouth!