My last option : Radioembolization with Yttrium90

Discussion Board Forums General Discussion My last option : Radioembolization with Yttrium90

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 27 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #57837

    Hi,
    Yes i think there is contradiction between both of them and i discussed that with her oncologist who was surprised and decided to complete xeloda for this cycle and give her oxaliplatin in the next cycle and no xeloda till 10/4/2012 (time of next radioembolization if she is stable).

    My mom finished Erbitux today (12th week) and the doctor said it is enough.

    Regarding side effects yes it is fatigue the major problem and FEVER which really scared me two days ago when she had shivering she is still feverish till today. Also she has some abdominal pain. we are still waiting for her next lab investigations to decide the final time of her next embolization.

    #57836
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi,
    Yes, I was told that 10-14days is enough to stop Xeloda before radioembolization .
    Do you think the article you read about sirpheres and the phase one trial in cases with ICC contradicts to each other in the use of Xeloda.?
    I do know that radioembolization can be combined with chemotherapy such as 5FU+OXALIPLATIN,5FU+irinotecan or 5fu alone for HCC,liver mets from colon.BTW, how is your mom doing with regard to the side effects of radioembolization ?. Is fatigue the major problem ,nausea or abdominal pain.keep in touch and
    God bless.

    #57835

    Hi Percy,
    Sorry but i think i didn’t get what you meant, do you mean that 10-14 days are enough to stop xeloda before radioembolisation?, i read an article about sirspheres (the type used for my mom) where they said that capecitapine is a contraindication for radioemb. if used less than 2 months before procedure or planned to be used in the future!!

    I found during browsing the internet that here is a phase I trial in cases with intrhepatic CC to calculate the dose of Y90 combined with capecitapine and their suggestion was to get use of the sensitizing effect of capecitapine on tumor cells for better response for Y90.

    #57834
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi,
    2-4weeks depends on the chemotherapy. Like if patient on capecitabine it can be 10-14 days; if on GEM/CIS or TAXOL/carboplatin then I would say 4 weeks to 2 months. That is the suggestion by one of my radiologist who will do the radioembo for me if I will need that done in the future and she had performed the chemoembolization for me last May. So far I cannot find out any info to sustain the idea of ” not to use Xeloda” after radioembolization . but I will try to find it out.
    God bless.

    #57812

    Hi,
    My mom had radioembolisation for her right lobe on 22nd february, she has fever since two days and today her temp is 38 celsius with chills i’m really so worried, her doctor said that it is expected.

    another thing she is now on xeloda (capecitapine) her treating physician said that we should only stop it 10 days before injection of her left lobe!! but what i got from the web that it should be stopped 2 months before the procedure and shouldn’t be used again!! please i need you experience i’m really so worried.

    #57813
    janetinfl
    Member

    Lud, my husband had radioembolization the last day of Feb. Today is a week and a day since the procedure. He was really really sick the first week, but today he is almost human again. My husband is 66, I sure hope you will survive the procedure better because you are younger.

    He slept a lot and had big problems with constipation. So you may want to stock up on whatever you use in France for constipation.

    This will all be worth it if we see shrinkage. We won’t find out for at least another month. Good luck on your procedure.

    #57833

    Dad had his left lobe done thursday and goes back for the right in three weeks.

    #57832
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, Kris,
    I will definitely make the reservation for you. Paris is beautiful and the prayer that I made from The Norte Dame Cathedral three years ago do come true.
    It is indeed a very beautiful and friendly place.

    For everyone on this board, keep up your faith and be strong, try your best to fight against this horrible enemy and in return,no matter what decision we have made, we will have peace,love and the certainty of NO regret.
    God bless.

    #57831
    kris00j
    Spectator

    Rachel: I pray your son decides to start fighting again. Maybe radioembolization will work for him?
    I am only 48 and am nowhere near ready to leave this earth. I was not operable when I was diagnosed March 2011. But after chemo treatments, thankfully, the tumor has shrunk enough and is no longer completely surrounding my vena cava. So my surgeon will do a resection on April 4. He will do the resection and oblate the remaining cells that he cannot remove. I pray that he gets it all, but will be watching other treatment options in case of recurrence.
    If he is also in NY state, maybe he should go to Sloan Kettering or NY Presbyterian in NYC for another opinion. Dr. Kato at NY Presbyterian is a “superman” when it comes to resections. And I really like my surgeon, Dr. Fong, at Sloan Kettering.
    Please tell him to keep fighting and hoping. Sometimes it’s all we have.

    #57830
    kris00j
    Spectator

    PCL: I’ve never been to Paris, so include me in the party when they find the cure for this! I would love to see the Eiffel Tower.

    Lud: It sounds like your test was a lot like the tests I had last summer to make sure my infusion pump was directly going to the tumor without too much leakage from the arteries involved. I had 3 embolizations to try to fix the leakages, with the result being a very slight leakage so y onc thought it would be safe enough for me to start receiving chemo thru the infusion pump.
    Good luck with the next phase of your journey. I hope the radioembolization works womders for you and everyone else involved in this process. These advances might just help find a cure for all of us!

    Janet: I hope your husband gets great news from this treatment!

    Kris

    #57829
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, lud,
    Thanks for your day one experience.
    4% only for leakage to the lung is very good news,that means much less side effects to your lungs with the procedures.
    As I mentioned to other members, which I learned from one of my many interventional radiologist , she said the more the vasculariry of the liver tumor, the better result for the procedure. And as you may know, once they inject the y90 to your liver ,it will go through the entire liver,( unless they perform the radioembolization by closing off the liver segments which your 5 tumors are not located. ) Otherwise the procedure will take care of the Other little ones which too small to show up on the scan now.
    Even they said y90 is a palliative treatment. If successful,it can buy at least a couple good years of not having chemotherapy. And if it comes back again in the liver, RFA ,CHEMOEMBOLIZATION AND RADIOEMBOLIZATION can be still used effectively until the magic bullet will be on the market and each of us will be forever CURE. If so, I will ask this board to organize a party under the Eiffel tower to celebrate for all of us ,or you can recommend a nice restaurant .
    Gook luck on your 2nd day of treatment and if you are married, after the procedure,sleep on the RIGHT side of your parter for a couple days ,that means your liver, when you sleep on your back, should not faced toward you partner just for precaution .keep in touch,your info will help a lot of us.
    God bless

    #57828
    janetinfl
    Member

    My husband had his radioembolization last Wednesday. He is extremely tired and has some pain. The night after the procedure he had trouble sleeping, but was able to sleep all during the next day. He also has lost his appetite. The nurse called to see how he was getting along, and she said his symptoms are normal. So don’t be surprised if you feel really lousy.

    He will have an MRI in about a month to 6 weeks so see if there is any shrinkage. It would be interesting to know how many people on this forum has had this procedure, and what the results were.

    #57827
    lud
    Spectator

    hello All,

    I’m just back from the hospital : i underwent the first phase of the radioembolization protocol at the Saint-Antoine hospital in Paris (it turns out that in France it is the hospital with the most experience with this technique, though limited).
    This phase consisted in an arteriography to check that my hepatic arteries network does not present any anatomical contraindications for the radioembolization.
    It was not painful, though the anesthesia was only local. But, it is not pleasant fo feel the catheter moving in your body, up to you liver. And you have to lay in bed for 24h afterwards to prevent the risk of hemorragia.
    As i had a panceaticoduodenectomy in 2010, which cut some arteries between the liver and the stomach/intestines, they did not have to do any chemoembolization of arteries.
    They injected also some macroaggregated albumin, marked with Technetium 99m, as a way to simulate the future radioembolization with the microspheres of Yttrium90. The particles of radioactive albumin are then detected with a scintigraphy, to verify that there is not too much leakage from the liver to the lungs.
    In my case, the result is very good (only 4%), so, I have the Go now for the radioembolization on the 13th of march.
    Before the exam, i was not so enthusiastic for this treatment, because I’m getting really fed up of going to the hospital, and i was not convinced of the interest of it.

    As i’m still feeling not so bad, not too tired, I sometimes just want to stop all these tratments, and enjoy life while my legs can still carry me where i want.
    But, the last scanner and MRI showed that the tumors are growing, so, I think now that this Y90 radioembolization is a good chance to put a stop, even if only temporary, to this evolution. And if i’m lucky, i won’t have any adverse side effects, and so, will be able to enjoy an extended time.

    #57826
    janetinfl
    Member

    rhike,

    My husband had an mri to see if his stage 4 cancer was still contained in the liver. His started in a bile duct within the liver and is now in the portal vein and blood vessels. That is why he is a candidate for radio embolization. The surgeon at the Mayo also told him he isn’t a candidate for surgery. He had chemo, but the results was that the tumor didn’t grow, but it didn’t shrink either. So if your son’s cancer is all contained within the liver,he should definately give it a try.

    We were told it is palitive care, and we are hoping it will give my husband more time.

    We were told by the radiologist that 50% of people get shrinkage, 10% have growth, and 40% see no change. I know those aren’t great odds, but I think they are better than other treatments for intrahepatic cc patients that are told they aren’t candidates for surgery.

    #57825
    rhike
    Member

    Janet:

    I am very interested in the Y-90 operation. My son is 45 and was told last week that chemo didn’t work and he still has a tumor in his bile ducts.The tumor is getting bigger. I have been to doctors here in Albany,NY who do the y90 procedure. My son has given up and has decided that he will be dead in two months as that is what hospice and his oncologist told him. I am trying to convince him that he may get more time in his life, but as long as he has that tumor that can’t be operated on, he thinks he is finish. I would like to know how you make out with the y-90. My son’s liver is fully mestized.

    Rachel

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 27 total)
  • The forum ‘General Discussion’ is closed to new topics and replies.