Xeloda response time?

beckymd

I have been on Xeloda now for about 5 months. Recent PET scan shows a "partial" response to a liver lesion, but still not great. I see my onc next week. Very worried about what he will say. How long does it take for this drug to achieve maximum effect?

sondraf

Yeah this happened to me. My onc gave it a good four months and scanned early and it did a total not much for me at all. I only had a very slight lowering of my tumor markers, grew two new small mets on my ribs and some others intensified. I was very disappointed because I really wanted at least a good solid year on it, and to help some other pain I had been having. I see others having some ok success and it was tough to take.

But, if the drug isnt working, it isnt working so…

amel_83

@beckymd

I don't know about xeloda yed, but ribociclib and letrozole took more than an year to clear up all my mets...(but my PET looked like a Christmas tree before). Did the job but definitely took more than 5 months.

At first they were stable, than slowly went away.

I wish you good luck, I'm on xeloda too and hope it will work!

beckymd

Following up on my post of Jan 24th regarding Xeloda response time. Onc said this partial response if a good start - overall the scan looked "stable", and we will give it some more time. He said a full response can take months and months. I'm hoping for the best. Side effects are not too bad. No hand and foot rash. Worse side effect is loss of appetite and trying to maintain my weight. I'm already pretty thin, and food just doesn't taste right.

moderators

Thanks for the update, @beckymd! Glad to hear things are headed in the right direction in terms of response. Keep us posted!

Also we wanted to share a couple of pages that you might find helpful:

https://www.breastcancer.org/managing-life/diet-nutrition/healthy-eating-during-treatment/eating-with-side-effects/taste-changes

https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment-side-effects/appetite-changes

https://www.breastcancer.org/managing-life/diet-nutrition/healthy-eating-after-treatment/eating-to-gain-weight (We understand you're not "after treatment" as you are metastatic, but that page still has some good information for you!)

We hope this helps!

—The Mods

cookie54

@beckymd So glad to hear you are getting a response to Xeloda! Fingers crossed it continues to do a good job.

beckymd

Thank you, Cookie54! I try to remain optimistic, but this journey is so tiring.

beckymd