When/if chemo break?

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Nor Cal
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:18 pm

When/if chemo break?

Postby Nor Cal » Fri Feb 04, 2022 8:12 pm

Hi all -

Got the results of my latest liver MRI and chest/abdomen Ct, and there were no visible lesions in my liver nor from the primary tumor. That's the 4th straight set of scans where this is the case (dating to April 2021). My liver is still a bit of a mess - fibrosis due to the treatment and original tumor burden - portal hypertension due to that fibrosis - enlarged spleen.

My ALP, AST, ALT were all normal on my most recent blood work (1st time in a long time as ALP is almost always elevated). My blood counts seem to be doing better since going off of Irinotecan.

Just to about to begin my 2nd cycle of Xeloda, and I'm wondering from others who have not had resection of any kind, how/when is it okay to take a break? I know a lot of the answer is personal preference, but have people on this board seen long term stage 4 control with just chemo/liver directed therapies? Have you seen improvement in liver function off of chemo?
Dx June 2020, stage IV, w liver mets in both lobes. M, age 50. Right-sided colon tumor. CEA 120.
BRAF+ TMB 5% MSS TDL1-1%
July 2020 - Present: 56 cycles chemo (All the various 5-FU regimens)
December 2020 - February 2021 Y90 Radioembolization, Chemoembolization x2

boxhill
Posts: 789
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:40 am

Re: When/if chemo break?

Postby boxhill » Fri Feb 04, 2022 8:41 pm

It's not exactly the same thing as a chemo break, but we stopped my keytruda after 18 mos because I had been NED for over a year and was experiencing very painful arthralgia. That was around June 2020. I'm still NED.
F, 64 at DX CRC Stage IV
3/17/18 blockage, r hemi
11 of 25 LN,5 mesentery nodes
5mm liver met
pT3 pN2b pM1
BRAF wild, KRAS G12D
dMMR, MSI-H
5/18 FOLFOX
7/18 and 11/18 CT NED
12/18 MRI 5mm liver mass, 2 LNs in porta hepatis
12/31/18 Keytruda
6/19 Multiphasic CT LNs normal, Liver stable
6/28/19 Pause Key, predisone for joint pain
7/31/19 Restart Key
9/19 CT stable
Pain: all fails but Celebrex
12/23/19 CT stable
5/20 MRI stable/NED
6/20 Stop Key
All MRIs NED


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