Chemo Options

Diseases & Conditions Breast Cancer
1
I was reading my 100 questions & answers book that the surgeon gave me and I read something in there about taking chemo orally. Does anyone know anything about this? Are there certain circumstances that you could be given that instead of thru an IV?
2

Sounds interesting!!! Maybe you can Google that to see if you can find anything. Surely they are not talking about Tamoxifen or Arimidex.

 

JUJU tongue

3
I just looked it up under the treatments available for breast cancer and chemo is one of the treatments. Says these drugs are provided either orally or intravenously. I'm going back to the surgeon's office tomorrow so I am going to ask.
4
Katt-
"chemotherapy" simply means chemical therapy. I used to work with a psychiatrist in a hospital who would start patients on psych meds and refer to it as chemotherapy. So under that definition, any drug could be called chemotherapy, or chemo. Traditionally, in the world of cancer, we refer to chemo as toxic fluids that are injected or given through IV. I think we often equate it with hair loss too, which is not always true.

Most traditional chemo's that I am aware of for breast cancer are given intravenously. There are hormonal drugs, like Tamoxifen or Arimidex, which are oral. There may also be others, and I know other cancers may have oral meds.

My suggestion is to prepare for the fact that they may suggest IV chemo agents, but you may be offered another option....
Consider bringing a tape recorder tomorrow too, it will help you quite a bit so you don't have to listen as hard.

Good luck!
Lori

5
Katt,

If they only offer you oral drugs (or chemo) you should be very, very worried.

L & H,
Cathy

6
I believe cytoxan can be taken orally. Also xeloda is an oral chemo.


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VICKY

7
i have stage v breast cancer and i took xeloda which is a oral form of chemo. i had to stop taking it because it gave me hand and foot syndrome and i went in the hospital for 9 days because i could not walk . it made me very weak. i am now on temadar and thailimicide which is a oral chemo. for brain mets. which i have, they said that this is my last hope so i hope it works. good luck too you, jennifer
8

Katt: I would go to an oncologist and ask about the chemo and various treatments. I have found that surgeons will work w/ onco but they are not specialist in the chemo and treatment. So please talk to an onco before you make any decision. Remember, you need to find the best info and care for each phase of this journey.

Deb

 

9
Jen114

I just wanted to welcome you. I had not read any posts from you or I would have done so earlier. Were you just recently diagnosed. I was on JUly 15th and already had my surgery and now onto chemo in 2 more weeks. I would like to hear more about your story if you would like. These women have been a wealth of information and the greatest support I could imagine.
Keep us posted.

Hugs:)
Bernadette
10

I haven't been posting much because I don't have a lot to say at this time. I have been doing more reading here than anything else and have to say that some of the info posted here has been helpful to me. I know that everyone's experiences/treatments/reactions to meds are different, but it gives me an idea of things I could expect. I asked the surgeon abiut oral chemo but it's been sometime ago and I forgot what she said about it, but I will be doing the IV thing like most of you.

Hugs to everyone here. :-)

11
I was hoping for pills too when i read that info. Unfornately, whoever invented this stuff likes us to be hooked up for most of the usually chemo stuff, I guess.

Jen, I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I would also like to hear more of your story and how you are doing.

HUGS!

Beth
12
Grandma Cathy said...
Katt,

If they only offer you oral drugs (or chemo) you should be very, very worried.

L & H,
Cathy

Why Grandma.  I was given Arimidex after my breast surgery.   I have ductal cancer stage 1, the arimidex is causing me (i think) bone muscle, and joint pain.  I had been diagnosed with fibro some years ago, so I am not one hundred % certain, that is what is causing it.  However your reply about oral drugs only has me worried.
reenee
13
Again, treatment is planned around the stage and aggressiveness of cancer. I was 0-1 stage and had only a mastectomy, no chemo or radiation. I was offered Tamoxifen and took it for about six months, but was not happy with the side effects, so since I was given a choice whether to take it or not, I stopped taking it. I am eight years from diagnosis and there is no sign of any cancer. You should get copies of your reports and keep up to date on what is happening in your own situation. If someone is say stage III and offered only oral chemo that could be a problem. But at stage 0-I, I would say it is not necessarily a problem. Hugs MK


14
Arimidex, Tamoxifen and Femara are dugs I have taken. They are drugs that can reduce the % of a recurrence. I don't think that I would classify these as "chemo" drugs.

If there are some oldies out there, Fay took some oral chemotherapy for a long time. If I remember correctly, they had her taking some ungodly number of pills a day. She is the only one that I know of but she had had a long list of iv chemo-drugs she had been given.

Beyond that, I, too, would be worried if all I had been given were oral chemotherapy.

ReeNee, Arimidix does cause bone and joint pain. It's alter-ego is Femara, and it, too, causes these pains.

Hugs, Jo-Ann

A good friend will bail you out of jail...
but a true friend will be sitting
next to you saying,
"Dâmn... that was fun!".

15

I believe mine is stage 2 from what I read. My report says..

Poorly differentiated infiltrating duct carcinoma. Modified Bloom & Richardson score 3+3+3+=9/9. Tumor size 2.9cm.

ER by IHC    Positive  (>95%)

PR by IHC    Positive  (100%)

Ki67            80%

HER-2/neu   0/negative

All control slides show expected positive and negative staining.