The Colon Club

Hi Guys-

I am curious as to how many rounds of chemo everyone received? I know this is directly related to stage, so please tell your stage as well. I have been going to chemo every two weeks since Nov...and I just want it to stop.

I am stage IV, just had round 17 of Folfox minus Oxal (dropped Oxal after round 10). No real end in site yet, but CAT scans always show great results.

I am stage IIIc with 7 out of 12 lymph nodes involved. I am getting ready to receive my 12th and final treatment. I began March 16 and I will be done August 17th. I went every two weeks as well. We stopped the Oxaliplatin after round 10. Good luck with everything.

Mary

I am Lisa Ann,

I was stage IIIB with a 6cm tumor in my colon.

I just received my 11th treatment and started in the middle of March. I will done in two weeks. So I had surgury with 12 treatments with the F5U
pump in my port for two days and Saturdays I go back in to have it removed.

I think that this is pretty standard. My doctor is incredible and did a CT scan on my two sessions ago. No more cancer in site....

I am glad the chemo is working for you...Good luck.....stay strong...watch comedy shows and movies when down...laughter is the best medicine..

Lisa Ann

17 rounds sounds excessive. Maybe time for a second opinion. Your body needs a break.

I'm stage IV also. I try to balance my number of chemo rounds with my quality of life. My doctors are very agreeable to this approach. There is no hope of cure for me, but the chemo does knock my cancer back and buys me extra time. I don't tolerate chemo well, so my time on chemo often feels like wasted life opportunities.

I've had lots of discussions with my docs about extra rounds in hopes of longer remissions vs stopping when we know the chemo has worked. They admit that there are no real answers, just theories. Some people show great response during early rounds of chemo and keep going for twelve rounds only to have the cancer start progressing again toward the end of chemo. What a horrible waste of what should have been good quality life time.

I did six rounds of Folfox and was in remission. The docs wanted me to complete eight rounds, but I was just too toxic to keep going. I really don't know if it would have made a difference. I enjoyed five months of remission and resumed chemo after six months. Now I'm on Folfuiri and I appear to be responding again. I've done three rounds, likely will do one more then take a break. I'll enjoy a couple healthy months, then likely resume the chemo. There is lots of data to support a "stop and go" schedule to control cancer for stage IV patients.

Please talk to your doctor and/or seek another opinion. Nine months of solid chemo is torture. Time to enjoy living!

PS. I do believe that stage III patients are wise to do the full course of chemo if they can tolerate it. Stage III patients still have the chance to wipe out the cancer completely. Most stage IV patients can only manage the disease. Though there are those who beat it completely.

I am only stage 3 so I only had 12 rounds.
halfway through I had to be hospitalized due to dehydration
( I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks cause I had diarrhel non stop
my blood pressure was down to 80/60 , I could barely stand up)
and I don't think I could have survived any more
I remember counting down from about 9 (3/4 way down 1/2 down ect)
17 seems like alot but you could be receiving a lower dose.
Hang in there ..remember to drink plenty of fluids and try to eat even if you don't feel like it......good luck

I am also stage IV and will be having my 10th Folfox treatment this monday, then the following Monday a scan. IF all goes well with that scan, I will do xeloda/radiation, then after that 3-4 treatments of fulfiri. Thats the plan right now - the scan could change that.

Carolyn

i was diagnosed stage 4 in june of 06. i did 8 rounds of folfox with avastin with excellent results i had 3 liver mets 2 did not show up on scan after 4 or 5 chemos i can't remember, then stopped chemo for 6 weeks then had liver resection 1 lesion was pretty much dead the other 2 were in the same segment of liver they were also dead but surgeon went ahead and did a wedge resection of the area to be sure. and i also have a hai pump and had 6 chemo treatments directly to liver along with 12 rounds of folfuri no avastin after the liver surgery. so far i am ned. so 20 rounds of chemo all together and luckily i had minimal side effects.

missjv

I am stage IV. I did the Folfox + Avastin regimen for 6 months. Largest liver tumor originally at 3.7 cm shrunk to 1.4 cm. I am now on my 3rd round of Xeloda. Then, possibly liver resection. I'll know more in a few weeks. Hopefully, no liver resection, but it's good to know I am a candidate. I was in hospital long enough last year.

Pam

hi pammy sue,
i know you would hate to be in the hospital again but if you are a candidate for resection please think about doing it as it is the only chance for a cure or long term survival. the surgery for me and i can only speak for myself was not that horrible and recovery was about 2 weeks of feeling like crap but after 1 week i was walking around and got on an airplane so please consider it.

missjv

Miss JV, I definitely will do it if the tumors are still there. I'm just not looking forward to it, that's all. I know, however, that it would be nothing like the 6 or 7 operations I went through last year in a 6 week time period. Plus, I've been on chemo for 8 months now (6+ mos. on FOLFOX + Avastin and on Xeloda since then.) It makes you weary.

Last year I spent 7 long weeks in the intensive care burn unit because of the special machine I had on my leg (a WoundVac). The supervisor of nursing said if I ever needed to be in the hospital again, they want my recuperation to be in the burn unit I think we bonded All I can say about those nurses is --- fantabulous! They cried when I left, and I cried when I left. I actually miss them -- when you're in the hospital that long and need that much care you become very close to your nurses.

Pam

Hi,
I had 5fu via canula every tuesday for 48 weeks. Every second week I took 9 levamisole tablets over three days. Ron.

I started off as Stage III and did 12 rounds of fulfox. Now, I am Stage IV and receiving Fulfuri with Avastin. I have my 13th or 14th round next week. There is not timeline for my treatment but it is working. Still, I can feel the infected nodes in my neck. I swear it gets smaller only hours after my drip.

Chemotherapy resume:

Diagnosed May '05, stage IV with liver mets. Eight cycles of 5FU/Avastin/Oxaliplatin, until November '05, then one cycle of CPT-11/Erbitux, then Erbitux only until January '06, then Erbitux/Avastin until April '06, then liver recurrence/resection in August '06, then Xeloda/Avastin from Sept. '06 to May '07, then lung recurrence/resection in July '07, will resume Xeloda/Avastin this month. Every time I take a break from chemotherapy, I seem to get a recurrence.

Hello all,

I will try and tally all of the chemo I have had: 11 rounds of Folfox, 8 months of remission, 11 rounds of Folfiri with Avastin, 7 months of remission, 10 rounds of Folfox + Avastin, 4 1/2 months remission, Campostar + Erbitux 5 rounds, 1 month off, 6 rounds of Vectibix, 9 rounds of Vectibix + Xeloda which brings us to now. The crazy thing is that I feel great and only occasionally get tired. When people ask, "how much more chemo?" I just say I will be on chemo indefinitely. Ugh. I actually stopped counting along time ago. So I was guestimating a bit, but I think I am pretty close.

Has anybody heard whether Trovax is in Phase 4 clinical trials yet?

Miss Kim