Gemzar and Klatskin Tumor
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Halinamary,
I hope that you and your mom ore doing O.K. It’s very difficult to make decisions for others. The important thing is that you are there, and that you are trying to do what is best for her. Remember during the process that you have to take care of yourself. You need strength to be there for her.
Best wishes!
RitchieHalinamari…..Sounds as if everything is working out well. Congratulations. You have made a decision and now we look for the positive response. In addition to the suggestions Gavin has made you may also look in to supplementing your Mom’s nutrition with Ensure or, any other high calory drink. Good luck and enjoy your outings.
Best wishes,
MarionHi Halinamary,
Thank you for letting us know about your mum and how she is doing. As to calories and supplements etc, you may find more answers using the search function at the top of the page here and hopefully that will throw up a lot of previous discussions surrounding this issue. Also, we have a nutrition board so perhaps you could post a specific question there as that may get more responses also. Here is a link to the board –
http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/punbb/viewforum.php?id=12
And here is another link on health and nutrition that may be of use to you,
http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/healthandnutrition.htm
Best wishes to you and your mum,
Gavin
Marion,
Thank you for responding. We decided to try the Gemzar. She is getting 500mg – 2 weeks on and then 1 or two weeks off, depending on her blood counts. She had 2 treatments and so far she is feeling no side effects at all.
She had no problems with the radiation and it did help shrink the tumor. I’ve read so much about how chemo has helped and I’ve also read how chemo was debilitating, not helpful and that this cancer does not respond to chemo.
My mom is a somewhat active woman and goes everywhere with me and my children ( visiting friends, Central Park and even row boating there, Bronx Zoo, county fairs, museums etc.).
If the chemo can give her a better chance with this cancer she is willing to try it. What scares me is that the chemo could make her sick by compromising her immune system. Yet, if we don’t try the chemo and the cancer starts getting worse we’ll regret not having tried it.
As I said, so far she is feeling fine – even her weight has not gone down anymore. One problem I think with her weight is that it has been hard getting alot of calories. The doctor told her to stay away from oils and fats. So I have been cooking everything on water instead and that reduces calories quite a bit. Also I read that sugar should be limited – another source of calories.
I find my head spinning with so many different opinions and options. I have been giving her alot of supplements and foods that are suppose to help the immune system. I hope it helps.
Halinamary….welcome to our site. As you have experienced with your consults physicians vary with their opinions regarding treatment of your Mom. I suspect for the same to happen on this board in that our members will offer their thoughts based on their own experiences. Recently I attended a seminar speaking of treatments geared to the elderly. I had been suggested that the overall health of the patient to be considered first and that age does not always imply for the treatment to be too harsh. Your Mom has completed the radiation treatments. How did she fare? You are mentioning that she is loosing weight? Is she tired and therefore, not eating enough? And, of most importunately, how does your Mom feel about further treatments? There are many things to consider and I believe, you should take your time in making this decision. You may need a bit longer than the set date of September 30th. I am hoping for others to chime in also.
Best wishes,
MarionMy mom, who now is almost 85 years old, was diagnosed with a Klatskin Tumor in March. She had no symptoms and routine blood work showed an abnormal liver function. So, she had an ultrasound, MRCP, and biopsy which confirmed a diagnosis of a Klatskin Tumor. The tumor is small and at an early stage.
Her primary doctor sent her to a gastro specialist who advised us not to do anything for treatment and let the cancer take its course. He told us it is not a painful way to die – she would turn yellow and fade away peacefully. I could not accept this.
We then went to Memorial Sloan Kettering. She is not a candidate for surgery because the cancer involves blood vessels. We were then sent to another doctor there who would not discuss my mom with me. My mom is hard of hearing and depends on me to communicate with the doctors.
We saw a radiation oncologist (who is from MSK) at the Rahway Cancer Center in NJ. There she received a course of radiation – IMRT.
We are currently seeing an oncologistat NYU Cancer Center which is closer to home. A PET Scan showed the cancer is not active at the moment. I’ve been told this cancer usually returns and is very aggressive. So, the doctor wants to give her a course of chemotherapy using Gemzar. The doctor feels now is the time for the chemotherapy so it will enhance the effect of the radiation.
Her cancer markers and liver enzymes are good at the moment. She has been losing weight , however.
I am very nervous that the chemotherapy could make her very sick and don’t want to make a bad situation worse. The plan is to give her 750mg of Gemzar – 4 cycles of 2 weeks on and 1 week off.The doc wants to begin her treatment Thursday, Sept. 30. I would appreciate any response. I am so nervous about all this and want to make the right decision for her.
Thank you.
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