Hi Donna. It's nice to put a name with @careydm!

I was on Dasatinib off and on for 4 1/2 months. Probably only 3 months total because every time I got PE he took me off it for a week or two. I don't remember how long I was on it until my first bout with PE - maybe a month. I had never heard of or been warned about PE so I didn't take the symptoms seriously at first (I now read every word of the fine print instructions!). My first symptom was a little cough and I just thought I was getting a cold. The cough and runny nose got worse and then I began to notice a little shortness of breath but still didn't think much of it. Then I developed a low grade fever that quickly developed along with more difficulty breathing. That's when I called my oncologist/hematologist. He immediately took me off the Dasatinib and put me on a high-powered antibiotic for 10 days. I reported the next two times more quickly!

I'd say don't ignore a persistant cough or shortness of breath, especially since you only have part of your right lung. Are you having side effects of any kind right now?

I've been researching clinical trials on the differences between men and women of adverse effects of cancer drugs. They report that women are 34% more likely to have adverse effects than men on all types of cancers. These same reports express surprise that there have been very few trials on the differences between men and women of the targeted therapy drugs.

I'm going to present these findings to my doctor and insist he lower my dosage. I've been reading reports from women who have done better on lower dosages - both their symptoms and lower numbers have been better.

Judy