Gemzar plus Abraxane (chemo, treatment, blood, remission)

[sweepea]

Has anyone had experience or know anyone who had experience with this combination of drugs to treat late-stage pancreatic cancer? Side effects? Response? Specifically did it make you or the person getting the chemo feel any better during the course of treatment, and how many weeks was it given?

My mom is trying this on Thurs. I'm skeptical, but right now it looks like something to try before going straight to the morphine. At least, that is my mom's choice. Thanks for any input.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

You would probably get responses on the cancer forum someone else mentioned. They have a much larger group of patients on there.

[sweepea]

Do you remember what it is called? I can't seem to find i.

[Ohiogirl81]

My husband had a rough time with that combo, but it's hard to tell if it was the drugs, or because the cancer was so advanced (recurrence on his liver after a year of remission) by the time he started that particular treatment.

Gemzar/Abraxane was his third chemo cocktail. His hair fell out almost immediately, it made him nauseous and lethargic, and affected his red and white blood counts to the point where he had to skip a week a few times. After four doses, he decided he'd had enough.

Let us know how your mom does. The same drugs work differently on different people; I'm holding out hope for you.

[sweepea]

Eesh. About what I feared and expected. The doctor told us that Gemzar by itself doesn't have pronounced side effects, but Abraxane might. He mentioned nausea and hair loss, and prescribed Zofran (?) for nausea if she experiences it.

My daughter is taking her on Thursday morning and sitting with her; then when she goes to class, I'll take over. It's been tough dealing with this and an almost fulltime job, too.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Tony22]

My dad never took that combo. He was on Folfirinox for 8 rounds and then Gemzar and Gemcitabine for 1 round. That was it =(