So here's the short of it
Today I spent the morning reading about the ALTTO trial.
My Dad's situation still weighs heavily on my heart.
I still don't know.
And here's the long
Tomorrow I'm scheduled for an echocardiogram. Some of the medicines that will be used during my treatment protocol have been known to cause heart problems. They will be evaluating me to see if my heart is strong enough for this ordeal. Of course I won't get any results tomorrow. This is another one of those things that makes me pause.... There is some history of heart disease in my family. I would never have had a doctor order an echocardiogram if I were not getting ready for this chemotherapy! They will also do several follow ups over the next year(s). So I guess I have to say that in some ways I'm really lucky.
I am still quite conflicted about whether or not to participate in the ALTTO trial. The herceptin (trastuzumab) has reduced recurrence of HER2/neu cancer by 50%, but you know that means that some women still have it come back. The Lapatinib (Tykerb) is being used for women who have advanced HER2/nue cancer and the trial that began studying this drug was cut short early so that all the women in the trial could get it because it was so successful.
The two drugs attack the cancer in different ways.
HER2 positive breast cancers make too much of the HER2 protein. Herceptin blocks the activity of the HER2 protein on the outside surface of a breast cancer cell while lapatinib binds to the HER2 protein component inside the cell. Because of this difference, lapatinib represents an alternative way of blocking the HER2 pathway. It also blocks the HER1 pathway, so may cause a more complete blockage. These two differences mean it may work when cancers have become resistant to Herceptin.
I know that neither option is God's promise.
I'll sleep on it another night.
Once again, I'd welcome your opinions.
Check out Dad's progress at Emily and Gene's blog
I know you are grateful for all the good thoughts and prayers, but in catching up on your blog for the past couple of weeks I kept thinking, sometimes life just sucks and this seems like one of those times. When my mother was in the hospital last Nov. and Dec. I finally got over my usual optimism and gave in to admitting that things were rough. It wasn't that it depressed me more or anything, but somehow acknowledging that made me feel better.
ReplyDeleteDon't be surprised if your Dad is addled for awhile. My mother would act very lucid right after getting off the vent, but she actually had no sense at all. She looked at me one day and mouthed "let's get out of here" as though we had just gone out for the day and she was ready to go home. (She had been in the hospital for 5 weeks at that point.) She had her 83rd birthday in the hospital and kept telling people that we had a big party that lasted for 3 days (it was actually a very small cake event that lasted until she fell asleep- about 20 minutes). That sedation they use really stays with a person for quite awhile. But, she came back to normal eventually. I hope your Dad continues to recover.