Avastin

[Girl111]

My dad is starting oxyplatin and we have been told that he can add avastin but would have to pay for
It private .

What are ppls experiences with avastin ? Is it worth taking ? We don't mind buying It private so long as
It can make a difference .

Are there bad side effects at all?

He is not sure what to do

[KWT]

Why would he have to pay for avastin? For me there is basically no side effects that I can tell.

[megan120]

I feel like avastin really helped me. I know that my cervical met went way down in size after I started it. I did, however, have some pretty bad wound healing issues after my hyst that my gyn onc attributed to the avastin. I think there were several factors that played into my dehiscense, but the avastin definitely contributed.

Why would you have to pay for it privately? My insurance has covered all my chemo meds so far.

[Girl111]

We are in uk don't have insurance and here they have stopped it on the national health service here recently . So for a 10 month course it's £20,000 here

[sjring]

I know there is some controversy on the benefits of Avastin. I should mention that I do take Avastin as part of my chemo protocol and it is covered by my insurance.

I don't want to quote any specific numbers because I have a lot of numbers jumbled in my head at the moment. But if I recall correctly, that while Avastin has shown an increase in survivability time, it was a relatively short increase relative to the cost. At that point, absent other considerations (like side effects and whether you can afford the out-of-pocket costs), it comes down to whether you think the increased time (again knowing everyone responds differently and statistics tend to break down at the individual patient level) is worth the cost. Personally, if I can afford it and I can have a good QOL I'll take every day I can get.

As far as side effect, while I'm sure there are others, the one I've keyed into is that it can push up blood pressure, and my BP has to be under a certain number in order to receive the dose. I also recall that the started the Avastin infused over a longer time and then as I tolerated it, shortened the infusion time. Other than that I think most of my side effects come from the 5-FU. The Oxili was the worst of what I had.

Best of luck to your Dad!

[pukalania]

avastin really helped and continue to help my husband, it's been one of the chemo regimens with smallest side effect..if none at all..fatigue is his only concern
good luck