Anyone on gemcitabine without abraxane after folfirnox and oral chemo?

Posted by layla97 @layla97, Jun 14 1:44pm

My sister received 12 rounds Folfirinox and was on oral capecitabine but suffered a stroke. Aphasia is improving but low platelets prevent any anticoag administration. He said he is unsure why oral capecitabine induced low platelets. Recent MRI revealed head of pancreas tumor still hardly noticeable (after improving on Folfirinox) but a few nodules in abdomen (omentum) one which grew maybe 2cm and another new nodule causing some mild ascites in the cul-de-sac.
He now wants to start her on IV Gemcitabine without abraxane, (pending labs) every 2 weeks. My questions (among many) are: side effects of Gem alone? Nausea? Lack of appetite? Weakness? She was quite ill on Folfirinox the whole time.

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gamaryanne | @gamaryanne | Jun 15 6:52am

@layla97
Everyone is different depending on their overall medical health. However, almost everyone I speak with says Gem is much easier to tolerate. Especially without the abraxane. After my last surgery I did them together until February. Took a month off and stepped back to bi-monthly doses of Gem. With the pre-meds I am able to easily drive home on my own and maybe do a little shopping on the way! It kept my markers in normal range for several months but now they are on the rise and scans have confirmed another reoccurrence in my liver .
No one can predict how she will handle it but if her health is otherwise good now she should be fine.

layla97 | @layla97 | Jun 15 8:39am

In reply to @gamaryanne "@layla97 Everyone is different depending on their overall medical health. However, almost everyone I speak with..." + (show)

Thank you @gamaryanne. I am always so appreciative of responses I get here. Hoping she does well on Gem, and wishing you luck on this part of your journey.

shwatts1968 | @shwatts1968 | Jun 17 8:12pm

I am currently going through all of the side effects from gem

shwatts1968 | @shwatts1968 | Jun 17 8:17pm

I sm currently on dialysis due to gem with abrax. I had the whipple surgery. Then months later spots were found on liver. The chemo did not shrink the spots, however, it reaked havoc on my kidneys

marcia | @marciak9 | Jun 18 8:17am

I’m currently on gem/abrax and keep going to ER with fevers then pneumonia and 4 days in the hospital. I just asked for a week off. I don’t know what to do.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jun 27 1:19pm

In reply to @shwatts1968 "I sm currently on dialysis due to gem with abrax. I had the whipple surgery. Then..." + (show)

@shwatts1968, dealing with chemotherapy’s effects on the kidneys and dialysis is something that @gingerw is familiar with albeit with a different cancer and different chemo. You may wish to join her in this related discussion:

- Chemotherapy and Dialysis: Looking for others who have had both
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chemotherapy-and-dialysis/

gamaryanne | @gamaryanne | Jun 28 12:31pm

In reply to @marciak9 "I’m currently on gem/abrax and keep going to ER with fevers then pneumonia and 4 days..." + (show)

Just reading this Marcia. How are things now? Are you on a break to let your body heal?

I was on gem/abraxane then we removed the abraxane. Basically no side effects with gem. Could be related to dosing.

marcia | @marciak9 | Jun 28 12:59pm

In reply to @gamaryanne "Just reading this Marcia. How are things now? Are you on a break to let your..." + (show)

Thank you, I’m on a break right now. It’s really scary that the cancer will grow or spread to other organs like my liver. I’m still tight in my chest so it’s good to be on break. I have a pet scan on July 2nd and then talk to Dr.

That’s interesting. I’ll mention removing the abraxane or changing the dosing.

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