Vinorelbine and capecitabine
Vinorelbine and capecitabine I am also posting this on the undergoing treatment forum.
I am starting chemo on Thursday: combination of vinorelbine (by injection Day 1 and 8) and capecitabine (orally). Anyone had this combination together? I have regional recurrence, triple negative bc and have already done AC and taxotere during treatment for primary bc.
Stories of real side effects and impact on quality of life particularly sought.
Many thanks
Jane
Hi Jane.
No personal experience but best of luck for Thu and beyond, hope it goes well with great results.
xoxo
Hi
I had IV vineralbine and the biggest problem i had was pain in my vein. This became better when I used a heat pad during the IV infusion and when they used a blue needle and IV hydrocortisone before the vineralbine. I got tired at cycle 4 but was fine upto that point.
I’m now on capecetabine. I had bad hand and foot syndrome on day 11 of the first cycle but on two thirds of the dose I’ve been fine from the hand and foot point of view and also haven’t got diarhhoea on the lower dose. My hands and feet are dry and get very tired on the second week of the capecetabine cycle.
I can only guess problems of the two combinations. Vineralbine gives most people constipation -me as always the contrary one - got diarrhoea. So I suppose constipation or diarhoea could be a problem with the combination but also I thnk it is going to be the tiredness that will be the main problem
Vinarelbine can cause tingling in fingers and toes - I’d lsot sensation through taxotere so that didn’t bother me but I did get a lot of leg cramps and chest cramps across my mastectomy scar which have gone once I stopped the vineralbine.
Hope all goes well and keep in touch.
How was Krakow?
Kate
hi jane I haven’t had it personally, but a friend has, she may see your post her name is ripleybn3, she had it as part of a trial, i know they gave it to her as an on going treatment not a course, as far as I am aware she tolorated it very well, only heard her complain of an upset tummy, sore feet & fatigue (gosh!) just the usuall, all symptoms where modorate and controled by drugs, I’ll try and get some more info on it, as you know we all react differently to these chemo’s. Don’t mean to throw you, but did you find out why your having this combi, its just research that I did for a friend who was 3 neg showed platinum based chemo to be very succesful ( i’m no onc of course!! ).
Just wanted to wish you luck, you’ve been so supportive of us girls on here & I hope things go well for you.
Love Amber xxxxxx
PS i noticed your profile said you where interested in myths and stuff… I found this a few years ago and since having BC the more i read it the more I understand it, there is a small bit about spontainius remission…godness know who wrote it but you might find a few spare hours to have a read its very long winded!! It may get taken off as I’m note sure if I’m allowed to post it, but here goes!!..
soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020
121horne/020121ch20.html.
Love Amber x
sorry me again just wanted to add, I found the fact intresting, not the dietry suggestions!! Also I dont want to divert from your main post ( that link was just for info)
Hi Jane Hi,
I had vinorelbine but had to stop as had really bad chest pain which aparrently is a very rare side effect but otherwise I can’t remember any other bad effects. I am now on capecitebine and my main side effect is tiredness and very sore eyes.I have some problems with my hands and feet being dry and sore but take pyridoxine tablets for that which seems to help.
Good luck with your treatment and hope all goes well.
Chris xx
Thanks for responses…guess I’ll have to wait and see how it goes for me. Loathe the thought of misnamed ‘fatigue’ again. Oncs tell me this combo not as bad as AC and taxotere which I’ve had before…again we’ll see.
Onc tells me that this combo has had good results…there has been some debate on me about whether to do cap. and vin. sequentially (I have moved and now have second onc who has gone along with first onc. though says ‘you never can tell’ whether to do combo or sequential.)
Platinum based chemos (either carboplatin or cisplatin) will be the next option when/if this one fails.
I kind of go with the flow as long as the tretament sounds broadly right…I don’t think psychologically I can handle trawling the internet for this and that trial result…which might or might not be the ‘right’ one.
I guess like everyone I just hope for that little miracle where ‘my’ cancer turns out to spontaneously disappear.
Just going to follow that link amber…many thanks
Jane
Hi, Jane - I’ve held off replying as I have had vinolrebine, but not in combination. However, my experience may help.
It worked on the recurrence that I had. However, I also had a rare and vigorous side-effect in that my legs stopped working (known, apparently, as “muscle pain”). It is not disastrous, just exceedingly tiresome and persistent. It started with a feeling that I was wading through treacle. In the US, they are prescribed l-glutamate to counteract this. I wish now that I had tried it.
Apart from that, the consistent side effect was this extraordinary “fatigue” - I would sit down, have lunch, and find my eyes closing and nothing, but nothing, would stop me from going to sleep for about thirty minutes. After which I was back to [relatively] normal.
Most other side effects were transitory.
Hi Jane
I tried Capecitabine but I only got the side effects and none of the positives. I’m now on Vinolerabine which has proved to be the best one for me so far. No side effects really ( a bit of tinglyness in fingers and feet and doseyness which I thought was the morphine but who knows!) The main thing is it’s preventing the cancer progressing further at the moment so I just hope it keeps working.
good luck
franky
Oh! Starting chemo already! I guess so! Good luck then Jane, I hope the side effects are minimal and the effectiveness is 100%!
Dear Jane
Just wanted to say I hope all goes well for tomorrow and we will be thinking of you.
Becks and gang
xxxx
Hello Jane
Good luck tomorrow - so touched you found the time to reply to me at such a tough stage in your own treatment.
You are an inspriration to all of us that read your posts.
Hear from you soon
Jane
Hi Jane Friends who have recently begun vinorelbine report it as a quick and easy infusion with few side effects. Don’t know how it is in combo with xeloda, which also is easy on its own. Best wishes for success…
Jenny
xx
Hi Jane,
I was on a trial last year with oral vin and capecitabine combination last year. I found it tough towards the end as I had to commute every Wednesday to Sutton from Brighton to take the tablets in front of the nurse. The capecitabine was given to me to take home with 2 weeks on and 1 week off.
I started in June and finished end of Nov. I found my pain problem was diaroherra and had to control it with imodium. My hair stayed in and by September I got really bad tingly feet and this was resolved by pain killers and prixodine B16 tablet.
Overall it was the easiest chemo to administer but I think the weekly commute made me very tired and by November they took me off it as it started to toxicate my liver. Once I came off my liver immediatley healed itself.
I responded well to it. Hopefully it maybe another chemo I can go back to.
All the best