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Other options available for Stage 4 Colon Cancer?
Colorectal Cancer | Last Active: Oct 9 1:34pm | Replies (36)Comment receiving replies
Yes I am starting Lonsurf and Avastin but I have come to see it as a tool that buys me more time to find a more sustainable (or curative) option. Unfortunately I am told I am not a candidate for typical hypnotherapy. (I am microsatalite stable)
As it stands, I am pursuing 2 other options:
1. The HAI pump idea that someone suggested. Although I had an oncologist tell me that since I had disease progression while on 5-FU that I probably wouldn't see great results with the pump because that's the drug they put inside it. That doesn't make sense to me because the pump should be around 400 times more powerful and directed... so I'd appreciate anyone's insights on that.
2. Clinical trial version of immunotherapy for people with NRAS mutation. But this seems extraordinarily difficult to search for since reading these clinical trials is like deciphering ancient greek. If this helps anyone else, I've been using these websites to search clinical trials: https://clinicaltrials.gov and https://www.mycancergenome.org
Lastly, thanks everyone for your responses and thanks Colleen for checking in. I appreciate the support and insights of this community. I will never stop fighting the good fight, no matter the odds. May God bless you all.
Replies to "Yes I am starting Lonsurf and Avastin but I have come to see it as a..."
@stayfaithful Wishing you all the best with your Lonsurf -+ Avastin treatment. Please let us know how you go.
I am also part of the Belong cancer app community (which is free although run by an array of expert doctors) but the assistance segment to find a clinical trial has recently started charging due to the time involved. That might be of interest to you in your search for a clinical trial. All the very best.
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NRAS (Neuroblastoma-RAS) is a gene that plays a crucial role in cell growth and survival. Mutations in the NRAS gene are commonly found in various cancers, including melanoma and colorectal cancer12. These mutations often occur in specific codons, such as 12, 13, and 611.
The presence of NRAS mutations can significantly influence treatment decisions. For instance, colorectal cancers with wild-type (non-mutant) NRAS may respond well to EGFR inhibitors, while those with NRAS mutations might require different therapeutic approaches.
Patients whose colorectal cancer has NRAS wild-type benefit from targeted treatment with EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) inhibitors.
Cetuximab (Erbitux) and panitimumab (Vectibix) are EGFR inhibitors used in treating NRAS wild-type colorectal cancers. They are sometimes called anti-EGFR drugs or anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies.
If your colorectal cancer has an NRAS mutation
Colorectal cancers with NRAS mutations may be aggressive and have a higher risk of recurrence. Talk to your oncology team about how you will be checked for recurrence during follow-up care.
When NRAS mutations are present, treatment options include traditional chemotherapy combinations (for example FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, CAPOX).
Conventional chemotherapy drugs are sometimes combined with bevacizumab (Avastin), which is a targeted therapy that prevents the formation of new blood vessels to supply the tumor with nutrients.
If indicated by other biomarker testing results, such as microsatellite instability (MSI), immunotherapy drugs, like nivolumab (Opdivo), pembrolizumab (Keytruda), and ipilimumab (Yervoy), may be used in patients with NRAS mutant cancer.
Other targeted treatments for NRAS mutant colorectal cancer may be recommended based on the results of other biomarker testing (such as BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors in colorectal cancer subtypes with BRAF mutation).
NRAS mutant colorectal cancer is resistant to EGFR inhibitors, and they are not recommended unless in combination with other targeted therapies.
There are currently no approved therapies directly targeting NRAS mutations in colorectal cancer. However, there are ongoing clinical trials for targeted treatments for NRAS wild-type and NRAS mutant cancers. Talk to your healthcare team about whether you could benefit from participation in a clinical trial.