wnderwo
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Posts:9
My father was diagnosed with stage iv nsclc in April 2011. His primary lung tumor decreased by 50 percent from 6cm after 6 combined doses of alimta and carboplatin. After his first maintenance dose of alimta last October, he developed peripheral neuropathy. Without any more chemo, he has been stable until now. The tumor has increased slightly, and he wants to begin second line therapy asap. What is the most effective medication with the fewest adverse effects?
We would greatly appreciate any advice.
Forums
Reply # - August 3, 2012, 08:56 PM
Reply To: Need help please with 2nd line chemo med…Stage IV
Hi wnderwo,
I'm sorry to hear that your father's cancer has begun to progress. You can read about the options for second line chemo in the GRACE FAQ here: http://cancergrace.org/lung/2010/10/04/lung-cancer-faq-2nd-line-nsclc-o…
If you have questions after reading that post, and the links provided at the end of the post, please let us know and we will do our best to help.
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - August 3, 2012, 09:55 PM
Reply To: Need help please with 2nd line chemo med…Stage IV
Jim has directed you to what I think is the best summary of a big question. As he said, we'd be happy to address any follow-up questions after that. The only thing I'd add to that summary is that at this past ASCO (American Society for Clinical Oncology) Annual Meeting in early June of this year, there was a rather flawed trial that indicated that people who don't have an EGFR mutation (and only about 10% of NSCLC patients in North America or Europe are) are likely to be better served by receiving second line Taxotere (docetaxel) than second line Tarceva (erlotinib). This challenges results from some prior (and larger) trials that indicated that these two approaches produce comparable results.
-Dr. West