Question for people who started on hormonal treatments and then moved on to chemo

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At what stage did your oncologist switch you to chemo? Since my diagnosis I have been through the 2 classes of aromatase inhibitor (steroidal and non steroidal) which both worked for some time and then this year have been on tamoxifen. I thought it was working OK but recently discovered that my markers have almost trebled since February and there has been progression in one vertebra (I have 4 bone mets which show on scans plus some disease in chest muscle which doesn’t yet). So far I have changed treatment each time I have had progression but this time my oncologist wants to keep me on the same treatment for now. I have no further obvious hormonal treatments available (my hospital does not fund Faslodex) and I have already had a high dose of radiotherapy to the affected vertebra so radiotherapy isn’t an option and the next step would most likely be chemo, which she doesn’t want to do yet. I can understand about keeping options for when the disease spreads further and to more directly life threatening places, and I’m not looking forward to going onto treatments with more side effects but at the same time I have misgivings about staying on a treatment that does not appear to be working well. Before asking for a second opinion I thought I’d check what other people’s experiences have been. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Tournesol

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Hi Tournesol,

 

I have mets in my spine and lungs (almost disappeared in lungs due to recent chemo.).  I started on Aromasin as my mets were originally just in my spine.  Unfortunately it didn’t work at all and I had quite rapid progression to my lungs (10 weeks from 0 - 60) and so was put on FEC chemo for 6 cycles.  I didn’t have chemo with my primary so that is why I could have the FEC.

 

I have just finished chemo and will be going onto another anti-hormone treatment but I don’t know what - tamoxifen is contraindicated for me. I thought that there were more than four hormone options but I’m not very well informed about that area.  Have yo been on more than one from each group?

 

I’m not sure why your onc would keep you on a treatment that doesn’t appear to be working very well so I would ask her to clarify why she is not changing your treatment then get a second opinion.

 

Tink x