We met with Dr. Haider today. He started by giving us his background both personal and professional. He then reviewed my case and told us what to expect.
Surgery is not an option because the cancer is in the pleural fluid. Instead of a mass it is many small spots on the outside surface of the lung. For the same reason radiation won't work. The only choice, initially, is chemotherapy. The proposed treatment would include 3 drugs administered 6 times at 21 day intervals.
The drugs are:
Paclitaxel (Taxol): 1st infusion - 4 hours, next infusions - 3 hours
Carboplatin: infusion - 1 hour
Avastin (Bevacizumab): 1st infusion 90 minutes, next infusions - 30 minutes. Avastin is a newer drug that has gotten a lot of press lately. It apparently targets the tumor cutting off its blood supply
The first infusions are slower to see if reactions are going to occur. The treatments are scheduled to begin on Tuesday 11/18.
He also wrote prescriptions for pain medication. They included a Fentanyl Patch, Oxycodone Capsules and Celebrex.
And, of course, some more procedures were called for: a bone scan, MRI/Brain scan and insertion of a medication port.
I felt comfortable with the doctor and was impressed by the Oncology Alliance operation. (www.oncologyalliance.com)
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