pcl1029

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  • in reply to: Spending precious final hours with my sister #83777
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, Willow,

    Sorry for the loss. With deep sympathy,hoping everything will go your way and protect the little guy and your family.
    God bless.

    in reply to: lung mets #82739
    pcl1029
    Member

    I personally think, if I am not a patient now, there is no need to do the gene testing yet,; down the road, say 5-10 years, there will be a more complete set of testing tools for cancer in general will be inexpensive and widely be available.
    God bless.

    in reply to: lung mets #82735
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi,
    I am glad that you think about the next generation gene sequencing(NGS) so important and useful. I think the same way too in the long run but for PRACTICAL purpose, it is not at least for the next few years as far as my understanding on this subject for the last few years is concerned. Again the key word is practical and effective treatment,not just any treatment.

    The way you state how to get FDA approval meds for treatment other than the approval intent indication is call ” off – label use” is correct., but to get paid by insurance is another story. Patient can also request FDA to approve investigational meds which is not approved in the United States but in Europe for humanitarian use.
    Patient can also write to the drug company to join its clinical trial on studies they are conducting now. To increase the chances for trying new meds.
    Yes, most of the time,Foundation One will write off the expenses and you are correct on that.
    I do not agree with your oncologist’s assumption on the usefulness of treatments using NGS that effective treatment is available NOW, but if just means treatment of any kind ,I will agree with that. With regard to using biologicals like the TKI,Monoclonal antibodies, your oncologist is right.
    It is the limitation of the usefulness of the NGS rather than other reasons that dictate what I think. Nothing relate to get 2nd or 3rd opinions.
    I do have faith in using genetic profile for treating cancer, the timing is just not now though.

    I went through the NGS Foundation One report and discuss the result with several oncologists whose names are very familiar with the members of this board and that is how it sums up my current opinion on genetic profiling about cancer in general,

    I am a patient of this disease for 5 years, I do not want to give other patients and caregivers false hope on this subject and this is the main reason I response to the above message.

    BTW, to keep fighting is a relative term. Nobody would like to give up on his/her life, but if you are the patient, it is difficult to tell your love ones to do otherwise.

    God bless.

    in reply to: second line chemotherapy for extrahepatic cc #83071
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi,
    CCA is a cancer that there is no end to it in general. It is really llittle if any good chance to cure it unless further research can provide such in the future.
    There is also no standard first line or second line chemotherapy for CCA. Whatever it works the oncologists will used it . It is also extremely difficult if not possible to just look at biopsy slide to determine what choice fo chemotherapy is best for next treatment. Therefore be aware of comments that most of the medical professional had made. It is easier for them to say this or that works. Chemotherapy for CCA now to to best I know is like ” try the most popular one that will work first and if not then try other regimens till one works. There are no consequence for the medical professionals to have if all the chemotherapies do not work or fail. They are no refunds or even exchange. No treatment is another option in treating cancer general.
    God bless.

    in reply to: New member — Wife recently diagnosed with ICC #72330
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, Jason,

    Sorry to hear the findings about your wife.
    The rate of the tumor growing (1 and 2.5 cm) in the last 2 and half months seems relatively fast to me which similar to mine. The good news is that there were no mets outside the liver,
    While I was at Mayo last Feb., I asked the oncologist about the liver function and the metastatic growth in the lymph nodes, which one should I worry the most?
    He told me that the most important thing is to keep the liver function as normal as it can be,the mets are secondary . So I guest it can apply to everyone who have this cholangiocarcinoma.
    Since your wife had IMRT done, what is the Stanford interventional radiologist says about the use of radioembolization at this point ? Can it be done?
    God bless.

    in reply to: lung mets #82733
    pcl1029
    Member

    If I remembered correctly,The BINGO TRIAL was done several years ago to find out the efficacy of the chemotherapy GEMOX, vs GEMOX with Erbitux. The final findings indicated no great difference. Between the two protocols. I actually met him when he reported the final findings at ASCO2013 in Chicago last year.
    By the way, there are few ,if any ,clinical trials that are currently available for the next generation gene sequencing reports like the Foundation One 250 gene reports. My opinion is that, it is nice to have the report, but it is still years away for the practical use of the report.So the benefit of such reports are secondary . You do not have to have it done if cost a lot or tissue is not available.

    God bless.

    in reply to: lung mets #82730
    pcl1029
    Member

    Adding the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab (Erbitux) to standard-of-care chemotherapy for advanced biliary cancer failed to improve patient survival, according to a study published online May 20 in the Lancet Oncology.

    Also during the Q & A section at ASCO 2014 in June at Chicago, a doctor who does EGFR mutation research a lot indicated the severity of the RASH response
    may not correspond to the effectiveness of the EGFR inhibitor agents.

    God bless.

    in reply to: My introduction #82628
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, Frippislander,

    I am 64, have this CCA for more than 61months. I am doing the minimum in just hoping to slow down the tumor progress and metastasis . Personally I believe a better treatment plan will not be available within the next several years unless immunotherapy such as TIL@NIH( I called them and they told me I have to exhausted the available chemotherapy( ie: Gem/CIS ) first, and the disease is in progress before they will consider my request and there are a lot of inquiry since the success of treating the CCA for one of our members there. In short, they are very busy.
    I know Mayo is one of the best place to go for treatment . I went there had all the oncology( general and personalized),hepatopathology GI consult and
    radiology(interventional and oncology) consults. I came down with the ideas that Mayo is good but lack of coordination between different practices and therefore a a good and special or personalized follow up plan is some what difficult for the general public. Gem/CIS was what they recommended , no personalized or clinical trial was available as of Feb.2014. I do not want to do GEM/CIS, so my local oncologist put me on Xeloda. Next scan will know whether it works or not.
    I enjoy my life, kids grown, no more liability, happy to wait for whatever God ‘ s grace lies ahead. I guess I am in the same boat as yours may be . Good luck and
    God bless.

    in reply to: Time for a Different Treatment #73100
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi,
    U of Chicago charged me around 1400.00 to have a medical oncology consult which my insurance had paid for.
    In short, there are no free lunch even if you know the doctor yourself. They have to make a living . It make no difference if you are a patient or caregiver.
    Most of the free consultations I got eventually leads me to an office/ institution visit down the road even I met the doctors several times in the last several years and they knew me.
    The only free consultations I got was from my peers at work in a hospital settings.
    God bless.

    in reply to: Dinner – Chicago – May 31 – who will join us? #82291
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, everyone,
    Since the foundation is so kind to provide this dinner for all of us, I want to mention one more thing to those who live in the Chicagoland area, like Darien,Naperville ,Schaumburg, North Indiana, Oak park, Aurora Elgin etc.
    Especially if you have just newly discovered us and want to know us more.
    We are indeed a unique group of devoted volunteers to fight for the cure of this disease. Like Jason said, the next five year will be the period that great success will come.
    As a patient , I hope I can meet all of you and answer your questions if you do not mind my accent.
    God bless all of you.

    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, Gavin,

    Well done, I am sure this is the TIL@NIH patient ,one of our CCF member, that is so famous now.

    Gavin, you never disappoint ed.

    Say hi to your mum for me, 85F in Chicago, grass is growing,birds are singing, Blackhawks is winning, Indy car is racing( watch one of the best race yesterday).
    Coping with new normal,like babysit constipation( a 20min job ), try to keep warm( take hot bath or use heat pad),try to fight of fatigue;(easy said than done),manage pain every four hour( relatively easy), move around more often,find ways to increase my poor appetite here and there( difficult), try to stop talking or thinking to much about the future( very difficult),
    Again, thanks Gavin for your devotion .
    God bless.

    in reply to: xeloda efficacy #82130
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, Peter,
    it is the oral form of 5FU,on par in effectiveness(20-23%) with gemcitabline for cholangiocarcinoma(CCA) with or without cisplatin combination. it is somehow ,for unknown reasons, works better in extrahepatic CCA than intrahepatic CCA.
    side effects are minimum.
    depends on what your doctor thinks the dose can be higher(ie: 1500-2000mg twice a day[2weeks on and one week off] or 1000mg twice a day 5days on,2days off).
    Xeloda ,if it works, can reduce the size of the CCA or slow the growth of the tumor to buy time and have some quality of life . I am in stage 4 with lymph mets, I am on 1gm Xeloda twice a day to slow the growth of the CCA.it will buy me some quality time if it works. I have been on Xeloda for 3 months now.what stage you are on? any mets to other organs or lymph nodes.

    if interest, below is a general view about chemotherapy.

    http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/punbb/viewtopic.php?pid=57198#p57198

    God bless.

    in reply to: my father having cc. #77417
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi, Faisal,

    At best, it is disease stable, but most likely the disease is in a slow progress mode. The chemotherapy at best, if it is working, is to slow the growth of the tumor but not cure it.
    The “ill defined mildly enhanced soft tissue” mostl likely is the early signs of mets at the surrounding area.(ie. lymph node metastasis )
    “Obstructed metallic biliary stent……with dilatation ” may require insertion of plastic stents through the metal stents to release the blockage if jaundice occur.
    But I am not sure if it can be done if the location of the endobiliary stents is Way up inside the liver as compare to the lower locations near the left and right hepatic bile ducts.
    God bless.

    in reply to: My dad has Cholangiocarcinoma #81663
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi,
    Yes, he will lost the appetite and some weight and depression is common.
    Most likely the weight loss is here to stay ; ask the doctor to give your father antidepressant like Mirtazapine 15 or 30mg once a day. In addition to it’s antidepressant pharmacological indication; one of it’s side effect benefit is increase appetite and weight gain.
    I am a patient and not a doctor,but I travel the same road your father is traveling. Depending on what your father really wants;reality is there are currently no effective treatment for this cancer. I prefer quality of life rather than quantity.but it is all up to your father. don’t worry, my friend God will be with you and your family. Pray hard.

    God bless.

    in reply to: My dad has Cholangiocarcinoma #81659
    pcl1029
    Member

    Hi,
    You need to give time for the surgical wound to be healed first.
    If you are out of the States, most the clinical trials are off the table and may not be available. Do not waste time on searching.
    NGS can be done on tissue block sample. I mentioned this test because you said you want to know the most up to date “ideas” for CC. But please remember, this are ideas and not treatment protocol. That means it’s usefulness is not proven yet and most oncologists here in the States,do nor really know how to use it. Remember, this NGS test has coming out just a few years ago,most likely it was not in the textbook the oncologists study while in school. I think your doctors estimate about your fathers situation should provide you a basic foundation in caring for your dad in the future.
    University of Iran has experiences in treating cholangiocarcinoma ; I was in contact with a couple of daughter and son. Who, like you, have the responsibility to care for their parent. Just contact with the GI department of the university to see what they can do for your father.
    God bless.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 1,667 total)