Cancer Treatment Options Forum - January 22nd, 2011 - 1 Comment
Cancer/Chemo Question?
56 year old female with history of ovarian cancer. In 1998, I had surgery and chemo and had a 7 year remission. In 2005, had sigmoid resection and another 3 doses of chemo and radiation. In 2010, cancer slowly metastasis to my lungs, the biggest is 2 cm. Now I am undergoing chemo for the third time using the same chemo Taxol and Carbo. I just finished the 3rd dose and I feel that the chemo is too strong for my body. Is it common going for the 3rd time? Should I continue the chemo?
Wow – 12 years with the same metastatic ovarian carcinoma.
It has always been with you.
And it was present for many years before the 1998 diagnosis.
It must be very slow growing.
The answer to this question depends on the response you have had to three cycles of repeat Taxol/Carboplatin.
Have the 2cm lung nodules decreased in size on CT scan – or not?
That is the crux of this issue.
Your oncologist will probably repeat the lung CT scan after the third cycle has had a chance for full effect.
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This is not common – not in my 20 years of caring for patients with ovarian carcinomas.
You are a remarkable person and an unusual case.
The quandary for your doctors is that we have nothing better to treat you with.
There are always other chemotherapy regimens – hundreds of them – but none better for this particular type of malignancy.
You and your oncologist have done very well so far. Far better than average.
Have you discussed this with him or her – your oncologist ?