How tolerable is taxotere treatment compared to AC

[hani76]

My mother is underdoing AC + T treatment for breast cancer. She has completed two rounds of AC and 2 more to go. After that she will need 4 treatments of Taxotere(Docetaxel). I understand that every patient is different in terms of side effects. However, I'm curious as to know how a patient in general good health before the diagnosis of the breast cancer can tolerate Taxotere after the AC treatment. I'm interested in any patient experiences so that I can understand the effect especially after AC. My mom has triple negative breast cancer with 8/20 nodes positive. She has undergone surgery and is now on Chemo. The first 10 days after chemo are usually the worst for her with the surgery pains resurfacing, constipation, dry mouth, and gas. I'm hoping that Taxotere symptoms will be milder than AC.

[hani76]

My questions arise from the desperation to provide my mother with the best care that she can tolerate well. Every time she gets a chemo she insists that she will not be going back to the next one. We still have two more rounds of AC to complete and then to taxol or taxotere followed by radiation. I would want my mom to stick to the chemo regimen as she is triple negative and chemo is the best option. Sometimes she goes into a mood of resignation due to the daily side effects and it is just hard to see her go through all of this.

[hani76]

Thank you Dr. Vinod. I have another question. Given that there is a chance of allergic reaction to Taxotere, is Taxol much better in terms of side effects compared to Taxotere. I have also found in other literature that 12 weekly infusions of Taxol have a better survival rate than Taxotere. What is your take on this? Meanwhile, if you don't mind, can you share further details about your professional profile as I did not find any details in your profile page. Thanks in advance.

[katarina777]

I didn't ask the above question, but thank you anyway for you complete and interesting answer , and the difference of those chemo agents. I received them all together.

[Dr Vinod]

AC:
Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) is an intravenous medication. Doxorubicin is red in color, and it turns urine red for several hours following treatment. Women who receive doxorubicin often experience mouth sores and hair loss. This drug is most often given with cyclophosphamide. Cyclophosphamide can cause irritation of the lining of the urinary bladder and often nausea and vomiting.  This is given after surgery to limit the metastatic cancer, as you told your mother has nodes.
Taxotere treatment can cause serious, physically limiting, and potentially life-threatening side effects, such as infection, low blood-cell counts, allergic reaction, and retention of excess fluid (edema).
Taxotere should not be given to patients with low white–blood-cell counts, abnormal liver function, or a history of allergic reactions.
Before each Taxotere treatment, all patients treated with Taxotere must receive another medicine called dexamethasone. This drug can help reduce the risk of fluid retention (edema) and allergic reactions.
The advantages of Taxotere treatment for breast cancer are immense.
Chemotherapy is a process by which these powerful drugs reach to all the parts of the body so you have these side effects.
When compared to women receiving the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, more women receiving Taxotere experienced tumor shrinkage.
When compared to women receiving the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, many women receiving Taxotere lived longer.
When compared to women receiving the chemotherapy regimen of mitomycin C plus vinblastine, more women receiving Taxotere experienced tumor shrinkage.In the same study, many women receiving Taxotere® lived longer than women receiving mitomycin C plus vinblastine.
I think this solves all your doubts in mind about chemotherapy.