Tarceva/Gem Sis/5FU

I have been lurking here for 2 years, while treating my dad for his CC. My dad passed on Dec 29, and I wanted to tell his story in hopes it could help others.

My dad was 78; he went through 2 years of chemo, including Gem/Sis, Abraxane, 5FU and finally, Tarceva.

As with most CC patients, the Gem/Cis worked great for the first year or so. Then it stopped working. The 5Fu almost killed him, causing a heart attack immediately. Abraxane did nothing. By this time we were near the two year mark, and he was running out of options.

Our family had put him on High Extract Cannabis oil, which kills cancer and has put people in complete remission. After 2 years of poison, or chemo as they call it, his body was completely decimated and it was very difficult for the Cannabis oil to work. His liver and kidneys had already begun to fail. Cannabis should be a first line of defense, not the last.

The oncologist said that as a last resort perhaps we should try Tarceva. Since its not approved for CC, it would cost $7000/mo. We purchased 15 days worth and my dad started it. We hoped this would buy more time for the cannabis oil to work, but instead the Tarceva killed him.

Genentech, the manufacturer of Tarceva, had issued warning letters and information sent to oncologists to NOT give Tarceva to patients with liver tumors, as Tarceva has been shown outright to cause COMPLETE LIVER FAILURE. If only the oncologist had mentioned this- I would have told him to take his Tarceva and stick it somewhere.

Within 5 days of taking the Tarceva my dads liver failed, his kidneys went next- he was in the hospital for a week, then hospice for a week, then it was all over.

With that being said- i think Tarceva might be beneficial in younger patients with absolutely no liver or kidney issues. I have 10 days worth if anyone needs it.