Avastin
Avastin Has anyone heard of taking Avastin for secondary breast cancer? I have heard that this drug could be as good as Tykerb especially if Herceptin has failed to work. I shall be asking my Onc about this at my next visit but wondered if anyone had any experience of it and could offer some helpful advice. Avastin has been approved for use in the UK but I don’t think for breast cancer.
Hi spike There are limited trials taking place in the UK where Avastin is being given as first line treatment for secondary BC. I know there is a trial at Addenbrookes in Cambridge, I don’t know which other hospitals may be participating.
Jenny.
Hi Spike
I have both bc and extensive bone mets dx at the same time in Dec 06. Like Jenny said, Addenbrookes are currently trialling Avastin for bc and I was lucky enough to be included in the trial which I started in January.
It is iv with Taxotere chemo every 3 weeks, I also have Zometa every 4 weeks.
Unfortunately when I had my last chemo I had a severe allergic reaction whilst I was receiving it. Therefore onc will not allow me to try it again so will be continuing on Avastin trial only until I develop further secondaries. The trial is double blind so only Roche know who receives Avastin or placebo.
Hope this helps a bit.
Good luck with your treatment
Best wishes
Cathie
Oh dear… Sorry to hear that our pleas to Sophie had no effect! Just hope that you are not on the placebo arm of the trial.
Read this in the news today about Avastin:
"Breakthrough in breast cancer drug treatment
Denis Campbell
Sunday May 6, 2007
The Observer
Leading breast cancer experts will this week unveil a new treatment which could help tens of thousands of women in Britain diagnosed with the disease every year. Avastin, a drug currently used to treat bowel cancer, has been found to make some breast cancers more manageable in the long term.
Professor David Miles, of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, and Professor Mitch Dowsett, of the Breakthrough Research Centre, will describe how the drug can ‘target’ not just the cancerous tumour but also the processes feeding it by, for example, stopping the blood supply around the tumour which it needs in order to grow. The breakthrough has been hailed as the first in a wave of new ‘targeted’ treatment agents which could bring hope to cancer sufferers."
Love Jenny
xx
Avastin Hi Jenny/Cathie
Thanks for your interesting and informative replies regarding Avastin. How interesting that it should be reported in the papers at the weekend as a possible break through in breast cancer treatment. It has been suggested to me that I should try and get it if I can’t get Tykerb but doubt that I will have much luck with either at the moment. Both Tykerb and Avastin have been approved in the US and Europe in the fight against Breast Cancer but as usual the UK are dragging their heels in providing it on the NHS. It is possible to get Tykerb privately in Europe but at a cost of £2,000 per month!
Tykerb will probably become the new Herceptin and I think we shall see court cases in the papers again where people are refused the drug on financial grounds.
Hi Jenny
Thanks for the chat on Thursday, it was great you were there because I was feeling very nervous.
It seems Dr Wilson had already made up his mind. He was totally against trying Taxotere again as he could not guarantee my safety if I reacted again.
I can only hope and pray that I am not getting the placebo. I am still getting alot of nose bleeds and haven’t had chemo for 6 weeks now (apart from the dribble I got last time) so I think I must be getting something!
Thanks for the info from paper they make it sound so promising.
Perhaps chat Tuesday evening if you are about
Cathie
Hi Cathie Well I trust Dr Wilson (with my life!), and he is a lovely man. I think if you are getting nosebleeds you are probably getting the real McCoy. Will try and make Tuesday chat.
Jenny
xx
Hi Spike I suspect you are right re: costings of these drugs. Avastin (I believe) has already been turned down by NICE on financial grounds. I always wonder what it will cost Social Services etc, to help bringing up my family if I am not here to do it (given that partner will not be able to work full-time if he becomes full-time ‘mum’ as well as trying to earn a living). I am sure it would be more economically viable - in the long(ish - please!) term - if the NHS would pay to try and keep me alive.
Mount Vernon is one hospital which I know is carrying out Tykerb trials, hope this may help your search for treatment options… Good Luck!
Jenny
xx
Avastin Hi Girls, I have posted before about having Avastin. I live in the US and had a combo of Avastin and Abraxane for lung and chest lypmh node mets. I was given Abraxane on week 1, 2, 3 and week 4 was off. I had Avastin on week 1 and 3. I did this combo for 6 months. My tumors shrunk some and were still shrinking when my onc said it was time for a break. I have been stable with no changes since last Aug. I go Wednesday for another CT and will let you know how I do. I understant that the average time after this combo til progression is 11 months and I’m at 9 months. I did fairly well with side effects. I did have quite a bit of neurapathy. Mostly in my right arm and shoulder, nose bleeds, blisters on my head, nail fungus, and hair loss. The Avastin was quite expensive. In US dollars they billed my insurance company 23,000.00 a week or 46,000.00 a month. The Abraxane was around 4,300.00a week or 13,000.00 a month making the total of 59,000.00 a month. I don’t know how it works in the UK if you have private insurance but here my insurance paid about half of the total amount and the hospital accepts that as payment in full because they have an agreement with them. I hope this is helpful to all of you. Funnyface
Hi Funnyface
Wow can’t believe how much your treatment costs.
Over here we pay National Insurance contributions which are automatically deducted from our wages before we recieve them.
Many times I have whinged about having to pay this or the state of our health service but I am now fully appreciating it at last.
Hope all goes well for you
Best wishes
Cathie
Cathie Cathie, Well I am lucky because my hospital accepts the insurance payment as payment in full I owe nothing. Also my husbands employer pays in full for our health insurance. Many companies over here only pay a percentage of your health insurance and you are responsible to pay a percentage too. I also don’t have any deductible so am lucky there too. I do have to pay for dr office visits. Now if they do a procedure on you the insurance covers the dr then. When I went for chemo and the dr would check you out before it that wasn’t covered and I had to pay for that. The insurance company considered that an office visit. I do have lousy prescription coverage so must pay for any medications. Could be worse. I just wanted all of you to know how expensive the Avastin is in case NHS doesn’t pay for it . Funnyface