Post #30- My Chemotherapy Options- Traditional or Clinical Trial

So here I go again. I don't think it's fair that you have to think so much when you have cancer but that's my life. There are so many things that I'd rather be doing, lol. Whether or not to participate in this clinical trial has not been an easy decision. I prayed that I will have made the right decision. This wasn't easy like my decision for the bilateral mastectomy. Not once did I waiver from my decision and I made that decision two minutes after I was told I had breast cancer. Even when people tried to talk me out of it, I stayed firm in my convictions. This clinical trial on the other hand is taking prayer, research and rational thinking. Chemotherapy works by killing rapidly dividing cells. These cells include cancer cells, which continuously divide to form more cells, and healthy cells that also divide quickly, such as those in your bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive system and hair follicles. Healthy cells usually recover shortly after chemotherapy is complete, so for example, your hair starts growing again ( the good hair I can't wait for).

My chemotherapy is after other treatments ( mine being surgery) so it is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Given after surgery or radiation, the goal of adjuvant therapy is to eliminate any cancer cells that might linger in your body after earlier treatments.

I will be receiving my chemotherapy regardless of which one I choose Intravenous (IV). Chemotherapy is injected into a vein, using a needle inserted through your skin. This allows rapid distribution of the chemotherapy throughout your entire body.

So after some prayer, research, talking to friends and crying ( a lot) I decided to go with the clinical trial. Often times I wish that when I have a difficult decision to make GOD would just tell me what to do. We do receive signs and sometimes believe it or not the answer is so obvious but we have to have a rational mind to see it. This should have been a no brainer but it was difficult to see at first because of all of the negative things you hear associated with the chemotherapy drugs. It's like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire!!! Get rid of cancer but get a host of other things, lmao! A lot of information has come at me at once from all aspects of my life so truthfully I was just overwhelmed and tired. However I am fine with the decision I made.

I agreed to do the clinical trial based on four main factors:

Heart Damage

Herceptin can cause weakening of the heart muscle, resulting in congestive heart failure. Heart damage is more common when Herceptin is used in combination with the chemotherapeutic drugs anthracycline and cyclophosphamide (AC). In a suggested that taking Herceptin with a chemotherapy regimen without an anthracycline in it (the TCH ) is nearly as effective as taking Herceptin with an anthracycline (the AC-TH). But the TCH regimen has less risk of heart problems. So Iam going with the clinical trial that uses Taxotere, Cytoxan and Herceptin (TCH)

Herceptin Heart Damage Is Reversible

Herceptin Heart Damage Reversible
Ivanhoe Newswire Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A drug used to aggressively treat breast cancer -- Herceptin -- has been recently linked with cardiac toxicity. The good news is heart damage caused by Herceptin can be reversed.

According to new research, 28 percent of metastatic breast cancer patients treated with Herceptin have had heart related damage -- a higher number than what's been previously reported in clinical trials.

Approximately 30 percent of patients with metastatic breast cancer produce an excess amount of a growth protein called HER2-positive, making the cancer that much more aggressive. Herceptin, or trastuzumab, is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits any tumor growth by latching onto these proteins.

Researchers testing Herceptin in previous clinical trials concluded between 10 percent and 26 percent of patients experienced cardiac toxicity. Before this study no one had looked at what happened to patients treated in a clinic, outside of an organized trial, after using Herceptin for one year, according to lead author Franciso J. Esteva, M.D., Ph.D, associate professor in the department of Medical Oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The study, led by Dr. Esteva, followed 173 patients with metastatic breast cancer. After a year of Herceptin use, patients were given a baseline cardiac assessment along with the regular cardiac check ups. After about 32 months, researchers discovered 46, or 28 percent, of the patients experienced a cardiac event.
All but three patients improved cardiac function after discontinuing Herceptin as well as using cardiac treatments like beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors.
Dr. Esteva reports, "If the cardiac side effects of Herceptin treatment can be managed, the drug is safe to use."

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, published online Aug. 14, 2006

Adriamycin (Doxorubicin) Causes Heart Problems

Doxorubicin may cause heart damage:
It is well recognized that doxorubicin may cause damage to the heart in some individuals. While other anthracyclines (like epirubucun and mitoxantrone) may also cause heart damage, the chances are more common with doxorubicin. Doxorubicin causes both early and late heart damage (also called 'cardiotoxicity'). The early damage occurs immediately after drug administration or within 1 to 2 days. There are minor effects that are picked up on the electrocardiogram (EKG) and in most cases resolve without casing any major problems. It is the late-starting damage that is important and more serious.

Late cardiac damage with doxorubicin:
Late damage to the heart starts about a year or more after chemotherapy. Doxorubicin mainly affects the heart muscles. It weakens the heart muscles and makes the pumping of blood more difficult for the heart. When severe, it leads to a condition called congestive heart failure (CHF). Individuals with CHF complain of a number of symptoms
a gradually worsening difficulty in strenuous work, leading to tiredness or breathing trouble when climbing stairs or walking
a cough that worsens at night
swelling of the feet
difficulty in breathing at rest
If severe, CHF can cause severe disability and even death

TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE!!!

Someone took part in previous clinical trials to show that Taxotere, Cytoxan and Herceptin were good to use for breast cancer because they are all FDA Approved. Someone took an educated chance so that my heart would have a better chance of not being damaged by a two chemicals at one time. Someone gave me a chance to have a better quality of life after my cancer. SO I HAVE TO DO THE SAME THING!!!