I am due to start chemotherapy in the next few weeks and have been offered to take part in a trial with the drug avistan. Is there anyone who is already in the trail and if so how is it going. Can we swap notes please?
Anne
Hi I started avistan yesterday - though not through a trial but privately. My onc. said he wanted to get me on it one way or another - as it is a breakthrough drug. Obviously there are no definites when it comes to this disease but give your self the best chance - and I think many people on here would vouch for going with avastin.
With regard to side effects etc. - still too early to tell. I’m have the avastin with taxotere so am a bit tired and achy - but generally feeling OK.
Take care - Geraldine
Hi Anne, I am on the taxotere/avastin trial - it’s known as the Athena trial. I have my treatment every three weeks - taxotere and avastin together. I also am having bisphosphonates. I have secondaries in my bones and my lymph glands.
I had my third infusion on Wednesday. It’s a pretty tough regime - I was hospitalised last cycle with low neutrophils. And I suffer a lot from tiredness.
However, the drugs seem to mean business. I had a scan on Wednesday just before my third infusion and they showed that all my lymph node tumours are shrinking - one by up to 40%.
Happy to compare notes with you anytime.
Deirdre
PS Where are you having your treatment?
I have posted on behalf of Anne
Kind regards
Katie
Hi Thanks for your replies - after a lot of deliberation I have turned down the trial offer. Oh for a crystal ball! I was offered the trial as I have triple negative cancer and had 7 lymph nodes removed, one of which showed cancer. I was offered the trial as they want to see if Avastin has any benefits with primary cancer but I’ve decided to just stick with the chemotherapy and radiotherapy - that’s enough to get my head around! I’m having my treatment at Bournemouth. This website is good to compare notes.
Anne
Hi Anne
I have secondary bc spread to liver and bones my onc put me on avastin Feb this year after 6 taxol 4 avastin I have shrinkage in all tumours of 50 per cent.
It is really hard when deciding which treatments to go with it is really good to be able to post on this site it has given me lots of support over the past 4 years.
Good luck.
Love DebsinCornwall
Hello I wonder what kind of triple negative BC will be suitable for this trail?
thanks
Do they differentiate?I’d have bitten their hands off if I had been offered avastin but was very lucky to get taxotere when dx 2 years ago.
Hi Avonlea, I don’t think they differentiated for this trial. The key factors were that you had to have measurable secondary or advanced breast cancer (more than just bones), it had to be your first line of chemo after a secondary diagnosis and you mustn’t have had taxotere before. I am not sure whether the trial is still open. And I wouldn’t be so quick to recommend it now. My taxotere/avastin treatment finished in June, and although I was on maintenance Avastin the cancer had started to grow again at the beginning of November and so I am now looking at going back onto some sort of treatment.
Deirdre
As I have said on other threads avastin is no breakthrough drug. Trial evidence on avastin for use in secondary breast cancer is very disappointing.
There is a school of thought which thinks earlier use of avastin may be beneficial…but the evidence for its usefulenes in secondary breast cancer is very poor indeed.
I have triple negative breast cancer which hasn’t repsonded very well to chemotherpay, but I have no desire to ‘try’ avastin…though I know many women in US do have it for trip neg (but then no one knows what to do with trip negs so desperation rules…)
Jane