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PET Results interpretation and best medication
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Jan 17 3:02pm | Replies (10)Comment receiving replies
Hello @lls8000 and @colleenyoung, we had a good day, though a long one, with the oncologist. The good news is that the EGFR PCR results were positive for the genotype Exon 21 L858R. In this case, the cancer team advised oral medication instead of chemotherapy. We should receive the medication in a week's time. The medication is provided through a Patient Access Program by a different organization here in Kenya. We just hope the medication will work well without any negative side effects. I will get more details on the name of the medication in a week's time.
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Hi @mikebee, Having that specific mutation is good news. It's the most common of the EGFR types, making it the most treatable, and hopefully the one that future research will be sure to include. These types of medications, also referred to as targeted therapies, can be very effective at pausing the cancer's growth, and reducing the size of tumors. The targeted therapies are just that, "targeted" to the specific cancer cells. Each one comes with its own list of potential side effects that her doctor will review. There are many EGFR patients here that can be very helpful with managing side effects if she experiences any of those. The med most commonly used in the US is named Tagrisso, but there are other earlier therapies/medications that are also quite effective.
Lung cancer today is very different than it was 10 years ago. I'm thankful for the researchers that identified and developed these therapies, as they are so much smarter than I am! 🙂 There is hope in today's lung cancer.