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Can you advise if an EGFR negative individual would develop a severe rash while on Tarceva or is this (rash) something one would most likely see in someone with the mutation?
Could inconsistency of dosing (going from 150 mg.,for several weeks, stopping for a week and then halving (splitting) dosage to 75 mg for a little over a month impact on how well Tarceva works?
Note...I was advised by a former Tarceva user that 'splitting' Tarceva should not be done? True?
Would Afatinib (sp?) be a consideration if Tarceva fails?
Many thanks for your counsel...
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Reply # - April 6, 2015, 10:19 AM
drgoogle,
drgoogle,
I'm sorry it's taken so long to respond, it was an oversight.
Anyone can develop a rash from tarceva whether or not they are mutation positive and whether or not they respond well to the drug.
Anything is possible with cancer including progressing over inconsistent use of tarceva though it wouldn't be expected that a week or 2 of a break from taking the drug would have much of an effect.
Splitting pills has be done to reduce the dose and side effects for those who are very sensitive. Dr. Weiss stated, "In patients who have mutation and are sensitive to tarceva, the cancer can often be controlled with much lower doses than the standard 150. 100 and even 50mg have good data. Some patients have even been well controlled on 25mg!" http://cancergrace.org/lung/topic/long-term-effectiveness-tarceva-w-egf…
Afatinib hasn't panned out to have much efficacy for those who progress on tarceva. The 3rd generation drugs are showing a great deal of promise for those with the T790 mutation often found in those with the EGFR mutation and acquired resistance to tarceva. http://cancergrace.org/lung/acquired-resistance-patient-forum-2014-vide…
I hope this helps.
Janine