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Hi,
If a person is very elderly and not a good candidate for chemotherapy because of marginal kidney function and frailty, could Tarceva be prescribed as a trial before trying chemo?
Thank you,
Terri
Forums
Reply # - August 24, 2012, 01:49 AM
Reply To: tarceva negative EGFR prescribe?
Hi Terri,
Tarceva can provide a benefit to patients even if their cancer does not have an EGFR mutation, although EGFR-negative patients are likely to get a better response to standard chemo. But if a patient is not a good candidate for chemo due to other underlying health issues/frailty, a doctor can certainly individualize the treatment plan to that particular patient's needs.
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - August 24, 2012, 04:36 PM
Reply To: tarceva negative EGFR prescribe?
Yes, it can be done, but the results don't tend to be especially good when someone is "backing into" an EGFR inhibitor like Tarceva (erlotinib) because they are considered too frail to tolerate chemo. Really, when people have a marginal performance status, the evidence shows that they tend to do no better with Tarceva than with chemo. The exception would be a person who has an EGFR mutation, since such patients have an excellent chance of responding well to an EGFR inhibitor.
-Dr. West