Lanreotide eventually becomes less effective, why?

Posted by jlsgt @jlsgt, Aug 19 9:49am

I'm about to take my 15th shot of the drug. It's my understanding that Lanreotide and maybe all Nets drug therapies only work for so long. Why is that? What's the science behind it? I suspect the cancer eventually finds a work around.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs) Support Group.

Zebra | @californiazebra | Aug 19 2:54pm

I think you hit the nail on the head with the workaround.

That being said, I have been taking octreotide injections for 3.5 years for my lung NETs and DIPNECH and it is still working to manage my respiratory symptoms. Tumor growth was already slow so hard to tell but it seems to be helping there as well. I’m very happy with it!!!

I also take Kisqali for recurrent breast cancer and the clinical trials show the median effective time with no cancer progression is 2 years. Then cancer finds its workaround on this med too. I’ve been on it for 3.5 years and the scans are still clear for BC. Sooo I’m hoping that I will be in the 99th percentile (not 50th) on how long these drugs are effective. Someone has to be the last one these drugs are still effective for, right? So why not you and me? 😊