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My boyfriend John is going to begin radioembolization treatments, most likely SIR Spheres. We were told by a doctor at Mayo that they have seen greater results in shrinking tumors if the radiation is coupled with chemotherapy.
Can any of you attest that this may be true? Any experiences relating to having radiation and chemotherapy at the same time?
Thanks to everyone who comes to this wonderful forum.
-Sarah
Sarah,
Yes my husband had chemo (Xeloda) along with his radiation. The Drs felt the chemo softened the tumor up so the radiation would be more effective. It worked very well for my husband so I hope your boyfriend has great results! Best wishes! Mary
Sarah and Mary,
Can you clarify if they were doing chemo simultaneously with the spheres, or did they do chemo, and then follow up with the spheres once the chemo stopped? I ask because my mother's Mayo oncologist does not want to do chemo at the same time. He wants to stop chemo for 6 months to a year during/after SIR-sphere treatment.
Thanks,
Keith
Keith.....I am wishing for continued success for your Mom. You might also want to read up on today's postings from Ron and Keith discussing this subject. It follows the thread of: Sire-Spere by Becky.
Marion
I also had Xeloda with radiation (the usual kind for radiation, for 7 weeks) and it shrank the tumor and kept it stable for 18 months.
I think it was very, very beneficial.
Kristin
Hello, I am starting radiation treatments on Monday [Mar.9th] am told they will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks [bile duct cancer] and will also be getting 5-FU , I had the pic put in yesterday, how long will I be getting 5-Fu? Does anyone one have any answers? Will it be the entire 6 weeks or less that that? Sincerely, Larry
Just for my pease of mind...could you all share with me the size of your tumor and if it's intrahepatic or extrahpatic and if you have mets. Just trying to figure out what went wrong with my husbands treatment. I kept asking about radiation and he kept blowing me off.
I'm sorry if this is wrong to ask, but I'm have anger issue to work through because of lossing my husband and understanding why things fail for him might help.
Thanks so much
Lulu,
I have found that on this site it is never wrong to ask anything or say what ever you want. We are all in this together & can only try to help & support each other as best we can.
I don't think there is any way to truely understand this horrible type of cancer. Believe me, I have tried. It seems to affect everyone differently & treatments that work for some do not for others. I too have been angry at times & wondered why things happened the way they did & why others have more success with both diagnoising & treating it.
In my husband's case, it was intrahepatic & confined to the bile ducts of his liver. Unfortunately, by the time he was diagnoised it was in 95% of the liver. He didn't even have a fighting chance. Up until his first symptoms, which presented only 7 weeks before he passed on, he was a normal, happy, healthy man. Obviously, the cancer had been there for a long time, but there were no symptoms. We didn't have a clue.
I'm not sure how helpful this will be to you or if it will just confuse you even more, but I just wanted to tell you how it was for him.
Hopefully in the future there will be more answers & some day even a cure for this horrific disease.
Love & Hugs,
Darla
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