hormone blocker pills

[Setter]

Hi Dr and thanks for your kind response, I have asked my dr. (through his nurse) about hormone blocker pills he says no , i have asked him for my pro/est. receptor sites results from my (6 lb. tumor) surgery, 11/01/05 he says there was no positive results, I just finished 6 rounds of doxil and my ca125 is 108 , i asked him whats the next plan he says i need to come in for a talk , i said i need to drive 3 hours for a talk, his nurse promised he would call me to answer some questions about whats next he never called. what do you think ?? my dr.'s approach is CHEMO and nothing but CHEMO, i do not think i can handle much more the side effects are killing my quality of life.  I am seeing a new dr on may 1 in boulder, co. what do you suggest , i have had chemo for 3 years every 10 months, (3 carbo/taxol 11/05, 6 carbo/taxol 10/06, 6 doxil 04/08) i need a new approach with this new dr. please help?? all suggestions welcome!

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi there
Thank you for the wonderful comments. i have little to add! It may be that you need a break from conventional chemotherapy. In addition to hormone approaches, you should ask about avastin (bevacizumab) as well.

this is experimental but it does not have many side effects. There is a danger of high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and bowel perforation. If you have a bowel obstruction, you should not consider avastin.
please keep in touch
take care

[ILoveMyWifeForever]

I am sure Dr. Goodman will be along shortly to provide some excellent suggestions for you.  In the meantime, I have a few thoughts to share with you also.

I think it is a good idea to work with a doctor closer to you, as you planning to do.  We live in Fort Collins, and my wife has a gynecologic oncologist in Denver (Dr. Susan Davidson) and an oncologist in Fort Collins (Dr. Medgyesy).  Both doctors are exellent and they work together to plan treatment for my wife.  Having a doctor nearby she can trust is a real blessing.

Your new doctor in Boulder should ask your previous doctor for the pathology results for your tumors.  In fact, if you can have your previous doctor mail or FAX those results to your new doctor before your appointment that would be even better.  That way your visit on May 1 will be more effective.

If an ERPR (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor) test was done, the results should show up on the pathology report.  If the results do not show up on the report, it may still be possible for your new doctor to request that the test be done if samples of the tumor were preserved by the lab where you had your surgery.

Depending on whether the test has been done, and what the results are, you can discuss with your doctor whether some form of treatment using a drug such as Tamoxifen or Femara might be worth considering.

Naturally, you'll want to discuss with your new doctor other possible treatments.  Doxil has certainly been a valid treatment.  There might be others you may want to try at this point, or perhaps after taking some time off from chemo.  Your doctor may also want to order a CT or PET scan to see how effective the Doxil treatment has been, and to serve as a useful point of comparison after other treatments.

Please don't be discouraged -- I hope your new doctor will be a good one for you and help you determine the very best treatment possible!  We'll be praying for you!

[Ang80]

My mum has been placed on Femara but I think they are still unsure of the results on ovarian cancer as they are mainly used for breast cancer patients.

[Setter]

Hi Dr and thanks for the response, I was reading in another note you said that "CA125 can have variation in value based on the lab assay and certain herbs that affect the liver" What are those certain herbs?? I am taking several herbs and I went to my new doc on May 1, and she wants to do 1 more doxil, I had 6 so far, at #5 ca125 was 108, after 6 it was 118, so it did rise a bit , which is very concerning to me as i want to stop chemo soon. I am using zeolite enhanced, astragalus, red clover, pau d'arco,seasonal rescue, carnivora, wheatgrass and several other herbs, that is why i am concerned about what affects my liver, do you know anything about these herbs i am taking and what are the ones you are talking about? I have no measurable tumor & stage 1 but the ca keeps going up so the doc pushes more chemo 3 years now! any help?