Aa
Does this sound right to you?
Before my moms CA-125 began to climb again,they took a CT and PET scan and a few small spots showed up but they werent exactly sure what they were.
Now her CA-125 is climbing again rapidly. We asked about the next treatment. It would be doxil...BUT...
The doctor wants to wait before starting treatments again. She said she doesnt want to take scans right now because its too soon since the last scans and we might not see many, if any changes. That said, she doesnt want to administer treatments based solely on the CA-125. She said it is definitely an indicator that the cancer is coming back but in and of itself its not 100% definitive.
Also, she wants to wait because if we keep doing treatments and the cancer comes back, then we will run out of options on which treatments to use.
Does this make sense that we should wait a few more weeks to do more scans and THEN begin treatments as opposed to starting right away?
Now her CA-125 is climbing again rapidly. We asked about the next treatment. It would be doxil...BUT...
The doctor wants to wait before starting treatments again. She said she doesnt want to take scans right now because its too soon since the last scans and we might not see many, if any changes. That said, she doesnt want to administer treatments based solely on the CA-125. She said it is definitely an indicator that the cancer is coming back but in and of itself its not 100% definitive.
Also, she wants to wait because if we keep doing treatments and the cancer comes back, then we will run out of options on which treatments to use.
Does this make sense that we should wait a few more weeks to do more scans and THEN begin treatments as opposed to starting right away?
I know it may seem strange to wait rather than get on with treatment but I can see what the doctor is saying.
The experience of the doctor will tell them at what point the new treatment has the best chance of working and I expect, they will be monitoring the situation closely.
That said, if you have concerns you should voice them, even if it is only to get some reassurance that this course of action is in your mums best interest.
However, this waiting must be horribly hard for everyone. Getting well rested and as physically strong as possible will give your mum the best chance of getting through this.
This is a horrible disease and the strength of character and courage shown by women like your mum, give us all the hope we need to carry on.
Dawn
The experience of the doctor will tell them at what point the new treatment has the best chance of working and I expect, they will be monitoring the situation closely.
That said, if you have concerns you should voice them, even if it is only to get some reassurance that this course of action is in your mums best interest.
However, this waiting must be horribly hard for everyone. Getting well rested and as physically strong as possible will give your mum the best chance of getting through this.
This is a horrible disease and the strength of character and courage shown by women like your mum, give us all the hope we need to carry on.
Dawn
I know it may seem strange to wait rather than get on with treatment but I can see what the doctor is saying.
The experience of the doctor will tell them at what point the new treatment has the best chance of working and I expect, they will be monitoring the situation closely.
That said, if you have concerns you should voice them, even if it is only to get some reassurance that this course of action is in your mums best interest.
However, this waiting must be horribly hard for everyone. Getting well rested and as physically strong as possible will give your mum the best chance of getting through this.
This is a horrible disease and the strength of character and courage shown by women like your mum, give us all the hope we need to carry on.
Dawn
The experience of the doctor will tell them at what point the new treatment has the best chance of working and I expect, they will be monitoring the situation closely.
That said, if you have concerns you should voice them, even if it is only to get some reassurance that this course of action is in your mums best interest.
However, this waiting must be horribly hard for everyone. Getting well rested and as physically strong as possible will give your mum the best chance of getting through this.
This is a horrible disease and the strength of character and courage shown by women like your mum, give us all the hope we need to carry on.
Dawn
Thank you for responding. I know my mom is getting scared and understandably so. Im terrified and dont know what to do for her. What if the doxil doesnt work? How many things can the doctor possibly try?
Why couldnt the taxol and carboplatin give her more time? Once they stopped her numbers climbed again fast.
Why couldnt the taxol and carboplatin give her more time? Once they stopped her numbers climbed again fast.
I have to agree with MickeyVicky. Waiting helps the patient regain a bit of strength to fight back.
They can try up to any number of different chemo regimes. I have been on several, and since my OVCA is platinum resistant, none of them work for me. I am entering my 14 month since being diagnosed with Stage III, and have never been "clear" in that period of time. I am now beginning Tamoxifen (used for breast cancer patients...no, I do not have breast cancer) only because nothing else is working with the chemo drugs. This pill will attempt to "keeep my cancer at bay" and prevent it from spreading for who knows how long.....6 mos? 12 mos? 2 yrs? anyones guess. My last attempt was with Doxil and Carbo, and it didn't work for me. I trust and pray all will go well with your mother. Careylyn
They can try up to any number of different chemo regimes. I have been on several, and since my OVCA is platinum resistant, none of them work for me. I am entering my 14 month since being diagnosed with Stage III, and have never been "clear" in that period of time. I am now beginning Tamoxifen (used for breast cancer patients...no, I do not have breast cancer) only because nothing else is working with the chemo drugs. This pill will attempt to "keeep my cancer at bay" and prevent it from spreading for who knows how long.....6 mos? 12 mos? 2 yrs? anyones guess. My last attempt was with Doxil and Carbo, and it didn't work for me. I trust and pray all will go well with your mother. Careylyn
My mom was also given a pill to control the growth of her cancer. I can't remember what it was called, though. Sorry I can't be much help. A lot of times, I can't pronounce a lot of these medications! My mom never really told me the name.
This "waiting" process is very common. Most often, doctors have a level of CA-125 which they want the patient to attain before beginning more treatments or starting a new treatment option. Waiting serves several purposes. One is to allow the patient more time to gain strength and improve quality of life prior to starting any therapy. Also, by allowing the level to increase, the doctors have higher numbers from which to judge treatment success or failure.
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