I was scheduled to have my last dose of Cisplatin and Pemetrexed chemo next week.
The side effects of extreme fatigue were just an inconvenience for me, but my oncologist felt that it was reason enough to switch now to the targeted chemo based on my DNA mutation of EGFR.
The new chemo drug is Erlotinib (Tarceva) and will be taken in pill form. It will have less side effects and is shown to be very effective in people who have the same DNA mutation as me.
I am very hopeful that, God willing, it will do the job.
IY"H it will wipe out all the cancer from your body and allow you to return to good health--quickly and comfortably!!! You are davened for daily, my dear friend.
ReplyDeleteGood that they are targeting specific markers - I think this is a good plan. Is there an intention to try Opdivo/Nivolumab?
ReplyDeleteThey won't try immunotherapy unless all else fails.
DeleteWhy? Immunotherapy is to my knowledge - generally - more gentle and specific.
DeleteNew drug approved last week:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.onclive.com/web-exclusives/fda-approves-afatinib-for-squamous-cell-lung-cancer
"The approval was based on results from the phase III LUX-Lung 8 study, which compared second-line afatinib with erlotinib (Tarceva) in patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. In the study, afatinib reduced the risk of death by 19% and disease progression by 18% compared with erlotinib."
Thanks Diana,
DeleteI will see the doctor on Wednesday, and will discuss the possibility of immunotherapy and the new approved drug with him and keep you posted.
So what did the doctor say?
DeleteThe doctor said Tarceva has a proven track record with my specific mutation and as long as the side effects are not too much, he prefers I Gi this route.
ReplyDelete