› Forums › Caregiver Community › sudden deterioration with brain mets. advice and what has helped caregivers ?
- This topic has 12 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 10 months ago by
ElaineLinn.
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- March 20, 2012 at 1:37 am
Hi everyone
My friend Dave – who posts here as DavidfromSingapore – is in the hospital and an MRI yesterday showed multiple new lesions. It looks like those of you who posted below about WBR were on the right track.
So any advice from here on ? They are going to do the final 3 WBR treatments, cease temodar and return to zelboraf, although zelboraf doesn't seem to have held it in check. The feeling is that there isn't time to start Ipi and have it take effect given the speed of progression.
Hi everyone
My friend Dave – who posts here as DavidfromSingapore – is in the hospital and an MRI yesterday showed multiple new lesions. It looks like those of you who posted below about WBR were on the right track.
So any advice from here on ? They are going to do the final 3 WBR treatments, cease temodar and return to zelboraf, although zelboraf doesn't seem to have held it in check. The feeling is that there isn't time to start Ipi and have it take effect given the speed of progression.
your advice thoughts on any medications to (a) help fight the mel and (b) keep him comfortable ? He is on dex but getting a lot of breakthrough headaches and pain which are preventing him (and his wife) from resting. Not wanting to throw in the towel treatment wise but being very realistic. Any suggestions for possible avenues and advice on what has helped you/your loved ones at this stage ?
Many thanks in advance for any replies
AlisonC
Stage IIIB
NED since 2001
- Replies
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- March 20, 2012 at 11:38 am
Alison, the sudden deterioration that you mention could be caused by melanoma itself and/or the side effects of treatment. However, I suspect that Dave's tumour burden is the main problem now.
I am not sure if another type of chemo would be beneficial, but it would be worthwhile to ask his oncologist about this.
Unfortunately, Zelboraf has limited effectiveness in many cases due to BRAF inhibitor resistance. However, I understand that early trial results have found that this can possibly be overcome by using a MEK/PI3K or an HSP90 inhibitor (XL888). See: http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2012/02/18/1078-0432.CCR-11-2612
Hope this helps
Frank from Australia
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- March 20, 2012 at 11:38 am
Alison, the sudden deterioration that you mention could be caused by melanoma itself and/or the side effects of treatment. However, I suspect that Dave's tumour burden is the main problem now.
I am not sure if another type of chemo would be beneficial, but it would be worthwhile to ask his oncologist about this.
Unfortunately, Zelboraf has limited effectiveness in many cases due to BRAF inhibitor resistance. However, I understand that early trial results have found that this can possibly be overcome by using a MEK/PI3K or an HSP90 inhibitor (XL888). See: http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2012/02/18/1078-0432.CCR-11-2612
Hope this helps
Frank from Australia
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- March 20, 2012 at 11:38 am
Alison, the sudden deterioration that you mention could be caused by melanoma itself and/or the side effects of treatment. However, I suspect that Dave's tumour burden is the main problem now.
I am not sure if another type of chemo would be beneficial, but it would be worthwhile to ask his oncologist about this.
Unfortunately, Zelboraf has limited effectiveness in many cases due to BRAF inhibitor resistance. However, I understand that early trial results have found that this can possibly be overcome by using a MEK/PI3K or an HSP90 inhibitor (XL888). See: http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2012/02/18/1078-0432.CCR-11-2612
Hope this helps
Frank from Australia
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- March 21, 2012 at 10:46 am
Hi Alison,
I'm so sorry to hear about David's brain mets – I wish I could offer advice, but I'm not familiar with the brain met scenario. I pray they can find something treatment wise and to help ease the pain.
We are thinking of him and his family.
Maria
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- March 21, 2012 at 10:46 am
Hi Alison,
I'm so sorry to hear about David's brain mets – I wish I could offer advice, but I'm not familiar with the brain met scenario. I pray they can find something treatment wise and to help ease the pain.
We are thinking of him and his family.
Maria
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- March 21, 2012 at 10:46 am
Hi Alison,
I'm so sorry to hear about David's brain mets – I wish I could offer advice, but I'm not familiar with the brain met scenario. I pray they can find something treatment wise and to help ease the pain.
We are thinking of him and his family.
Maria
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- March 22, 2012 at 2:02 am
Hi Alison I am sorry to hear of your friend brain mets and am writing to tell you that I am also going through this. I just had brain surgery on the 12 of March but went through a new clinical trial called bendamuskin which they gave me 3 chemo treatments before the surgery on the last day of treatment they were wheeling me into surgery as they last drop of chemo went in the vein. The surgery went great they got the whole 1 1/2cm tumor and removed all the fluid around the tumor. I had to stay in ICU for 2 days they did another Mri and it came back good. I was released from the hospital on Monday after being in there for 12 DAYS and was doing very good untill they took me off the steriods and then the headaches began. I am still pretty sick and weak. I will begin radation in 2 weeks I will have to have 4 weeks of that then I will go back to the IPPI treatments that I was doing before because of the METS on my lungs. I am having trouble right now with my liver function but they think that it was the chemo and hope that it will return to normal in a week or to. I started the steriods back again yesterday an started feeling normal again. I have faith that God and the drs are going to do all they can do for me. I just have to fight and not give up. and I hope your friend also does not give up. I will be praying for him and the rest of us that we find a cure for this cancer and NO ONE ever has to suffer they way that most of us have suffered.
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- March 22, 2012 at 2:02 am
Hi Alison I am sorry to hear of your friend brain mets and am writing to tell you that I am also going through this. I just had brain surgery on the 12 of March but went through a new clinical trial called bendamuskin which they gave me 3 chemo treatments before the surgery on the last day of treatment they were wheeling me into surgery as they last drop of chemo went in the vein. The surgery went great they got the whole 1 1/2cm tumor and removed all the fluid around the tumor. I had to stay in ICU for 2 days they did another Mri and it came back good. I was released from the hospital on Monday after being in there for 12 DAYS and was doing very good untill they took me off the steriods and then the headaches began. I am still pretty sick and weak. I will begin radation in 2 weeks I will have to have 4 weeks of that then I will go back to the IPPI treatments that I was doing before because of the METS on my lungs. I am having trouble right now with my liver function but they think that it was the chemo and hope that it will return to normal in a week or to. I started the steriods back again yesterday an started feeling normal again. I have faith that God and the drs are going to do all they can do for me. I just have to fight and not give up. and I hope your friend also does not give up. I will be praying for him and the rest of us that we find a cure for this cancer and NO ONE ever has to suffer they way that most of us have suffered.
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- March 22, 2012 at 2:02 am
Hi Alison I am sorry to hear of your friend brain mets and am writing to tell you that I am also going through this. I just had brain surgery on the 12 of March but went through a new clinical trial called bendamuskin which they gave me 3 chemo treatments before the surgery on the last day of treatment they were wheeling me into surgery as they last drop of chemo went in the vein. The surgery went great they got the whole 1 1/2cm tumor and removed all the fluid around the tumor. I had to stay in ICU for 2 days they did another Mri and it came back good. I was released from the hospital on Monday after being in there for 12 DAYS and was doing very good untill they took me off the steriods and then the headaches began. I am still pretty sick and weak. I will begin radation in 2 weeks I will have to have 4 weeks of that then I will go back to the IPPI treatments that I was doing before because of the METS on my lungs. I am having trouble right now with my liver function but they think that it was the chemo and hope that it will return to normal in a week or to. I started the steriods back again yesterday an started feeling normal again. I have faith that God and the drs are going to do all they can do for me. I just have to fight and not give up. and I hope your friend also does not give up. I will be praying for him and the rest of us that we find a cure for this cancer and NO ONE ever has to suffer they way that most of us have suffered.
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