is there any other tretmants out there

been thru the original taxol carbo in early 2003 then consolidation taxol weekly also in 2003. a 2 year remision and then a recurrence in late 2005. at that point doxil/carbo for 4 then doxil every 3 weeks for the next year. by Jan 2007 a rapidly rising CA125 but no significant PetCT activity led us to believe the doxil was not longer effective, trying it with carbo led to an allergic reaction and stopped. Now we tried Gemzar 4 cycles every 10 days. CA125 continues to rise and a new PetCt has now shown a few small noduls in the abdomen pelvis area. Nothing large, but active (less than 1cm x.5cm) and needs to be treated before symptoms catch up with the activity. We are thinking about going back to taxol which hasnt been taken since late 2003 and team it up with gleevec in a new trial. anyone hear about this or have any suggestions that have been not considered

[nyc lady]

There are other people on this forum that are very knowledgeable about chemo and clinical trials that are out there.  You may want to re-post with the Jatoo in the title, he is very educated and his wife is in a trial now doing very well.

There are lots of other chemos out there.....I had a friend that was on Femera for a while and that kept her numbers stable.  I know someone that has been "stable" for over 7 years by taking nothing but Arimidex (sp?).

Good luck to you!!!!

[ehr]

thanks nyc lady

jatoo - my doctor at nyu is now thinking of doing a trial with taxol and gleevec. my PetCt showed small nodules on the perimater of the liver and some L.N. invvolvement in the peritoneum. with my quickly rising ca125. gemzar was a washout and i was on doxil for over a year. I havent touched taxol since 2003 so he feels its the way to go. Gleevec is a new clinical trial with taxol at NYU so i felt it couldnt hurt. But I am interested in the VEGF-TRAP you alluded to a while back. everyother week is better than the every 7 days i will get taxol and gleevec. Alot of what i am up against seems to mirror your situation. Anything you could add about it. A former doctor of mine said I should go on Taxol and Avisten but what you are on is "in the same family"? thanks for any info

[Jatoo]

Hello,

It's great that there are so many things going on in Ovarian Cancer trials right now. Hopefully someone can stumble on a cure.

Dear Ladies:

I think Ehr have so many options. Your being chemo sensitive to Taxol gives you so many options. My wife is platimun-resistant so she just can't go back to that drug and yet the presence of Avastin and Kinase inhibitors these days balances that resistance.

1. Gleevec (Imatinib or marketed as Imatinib Mesilate, its salt) is a kinase inhibitor just like Sorafenib (Nexabar) which Diane B is trying to get in at NCI with Avastin and Lapatinib (Tykerb) which Lesslee (Simplystar's daughter) is having combined with Topotecan. I don't know how Taxol with Gleevec will work. I know how Sorafenib with Avastin worked which to me is remarkable. So since Sorafenib is the same family as Imatinib, I think it will be more powerful than Taxol alone. However I would prefer Taxol (or better Abraxane) with Avastin given the choice. Abraxane is also Taxol, but easier on the body. Furthermore, I posted a lot of other options which you can find in the archives under chemotheraphy. You can also ask for Docetaxel (Taxotere) which is the same family of Taxol (Alkaloids or Taxanes) and which Helmar has been using with great results.

2. Hello Nyc Lady, thanks for the compliment. I don't deserve it. It's purely research and analysis based on a need to find a cure for my wife which anyone in this forum can attain.  By the way my wife is not on a clinical trial. She's on Avastin, Gemzar and Femara given by her hospital. Gemzar is reduced dose and I think it is a blessing in disguise because the actual successful clinical trial of Avastin was with a low dose chemo drug(Cytoxan). Besides full dose Gemzar is not good for the bloods.

3. I will do a separate post on Femara, Tamoxifen and Arimidex. I think it can be the "missing link" and the secret to prevent or further delay recurrence.

I hope this helps and please pray for my wife. In the meantime I still have to cook.

Thanks,
Jatoo

[SimplyStar]

Just as soon as we start getting results from my daughters  tests I will let you all know if the combo Topotecan+Tykerb is working.  Her white count went down to 1.1  but bounced back up yesterday to 4.5, starting the second round today.  Side affects are just tiredness,

[ehr]

if your wife is platinum resistant why couldnt she go back to taxol, isnt it the carboplatin that she must stay away from? I went back to carboplatin earlier in the year and had an allergic reaction and had to stop. I had been trated with it in 2003 and then again in dec/jan 2006. After thr Gemzar disaster, I thought the taxol would be the correct next step (the gleevec is a bonus) since it was responsible for a 2 year remission in 2003 (with Carbo) so it makes sense. I just dont know one decides on doing the taxol/gleevec or goes with Avisten, its like a crapshoot?

anyone know the side effects of Gleevec?

[Jatoo]

Dear Ehr:

Platinum-resistant means recurring within six(6) months after the Carbo/Taxol combo. That means that not only will she be resistant to Platinum drugs but Taxanes as well. Just to prove the point: she had weekly Taxol more than a year since she had Taxol yet her tumors progressed.

I don't think it is a crapshoot or pure gut-feel. Definitely analysis come into play. What is the probability that this regimen will work? You can assess the probability based on the results of the clinical trials. So you have a percentage response of say Doxil, Topotecan, Avastin or Avastin/Cytoxan, Carbo/Gemzar and so on. It's also good to know what kind of drugs they are combining: cytotoxic (kills the cells) with biologic or monoclonal or with hormonal drugs and so on. This is the reason why many times it is better to go on a clinical trial because the odds are better than using an FDA approved drugs.

You can find some information of Imatinib(Gleevec) in the web. I think it is already in the phase II at the NCI. That means you can get the results of the phase I clinical trial.

Jatoo