Any experience with the chemo drugs docetaxel or gemzar-gemcitabine?

Posted by scs23 @scs23, Dec 29, 2023

I was diagnosed with synovial spindle cell sarcoma in my left lung in January of this year. The tumor was already 10cm when we found it. I had surgery in February to remove it, and a second surgery in March to remove it again, as it had grown back to 9cm in six weeks. I started chemo and radiation within days of my second surgery and have since finished treatments. Scans from a couple months ago were unimpressive. A ct scan from a couple weeks ago is showing 2 masses, one is a little smaller (2x3cm) but the other is already quite large(9x5cm). I'll be starting chemo next week with different chemo drugs than the first time. Anyone have any experience with docetaxel or gemzar-gemcitabine? Any side effects? How long til any improvement was seen, tumors shrinking or at least stop growing?

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pb50 | @pb50 | Jul 2 11:56am

I agree regarding quality. Online is sure disappointment and I haven’t found local resources. I have accepted that thin and shedding is the state of affairs. I grew it long
enough to wear it up and as long as the top is just thin and not gone, i will live with it.

Thanks for your response!

quichewithmayo | @quichewithmayo | Jul 4 5:50pm

Hi!
I had doxy 20 years ago. I tolerated it well, but of course I lost all my hair. Everywhere. Some of it barely grew back, which was fine with me. (Underarms, legs, pubic area.) My head hair grew back fine. My hair first came in wavy and kinky, but within a year returned to straight. My tumor was already removed by surgery, so the chemo was preventative. Then I had radiation treatments. I had a neighbor who had Gemzar treatments. It was not pleasant, but it really added to her survival of ovarian cancer.
I find that doing research helps me understand what is happening. I ask my oncologist lots of Qs, which seems to be appreciated. I know I gain a lot of knowledge and within the knowledge I find hope.
Best of everthing to you,
Lorraine

nooneknows | @nooneknows | Jul 5 11:27am

Had both drugs for UPS and they worked spectacularly. There were some delays in treatment due to low white blood cell counts. I lost all hair, and found the most annoying to be the loss of nasal hair. On a windy day (many here in Texas), it seemed that every particle of dust or pollen went to my sinuses, so I regularly wore a mask. Amused by insurer language, an approved purchase of a "cranial prosthetic, " a wig. Then, had 33 immunotherapy treatments of pembrolizumab, some body hair returned, hair on head thinner than previously. My treatment protocol was from MD Anderson, but drug info came from the manufacturers and National Cancer Institute.