Taxotere vs. 12 Weekly vs. 4 Biweekly Taxol: Advice from Those Who’ve Been There?

tilda_bee

Dear all,
I’d really appreciate your insights as I’m struggling to make a decision on how to continue.

I’ve had a bumpy start with neoadjuvant chemo and have now completed 2 of 4 EC cycles. I’m hormone-positive, HER2-negative, with IDC grade 3. After EC, I’ll move on to either Taxol or Taxotere.

A second-opinion oncologist advised against 4x 3-weekly Taxotere due to side effects. He suggested either:

• 12x weekly Taxol (which I see mentioned often here), or
• 4x dose-dense Taxol every 2 weeks.

I’m struggling with the idea of 12 more sessions vs. 4, especially since I value the recovery time. Has anyone here done the 2-weekly Taxol option? I’d love to hear your experiences — pros, cons, or anything to consider - also in regards to cold capping.

Also, since starting EC, I’ve been dealing with constant dizziness and brain fog — like a slow, heavy brain. It’s slightly improved but hasn’t gone away. Has anyone else experienced this? I’m quite worried about this as I thought this wouldn’t be a constant thing and it affects me quite a lot - any tips or reassurance would be so appreciated.

Thanks so much & all the best, Tilda

ammie

Hi Tilda!

I'd done the 4 dose-dense Taxol, after completing 4 AC. I think AC is similar to EC, it was a REALLY tough regimen. I also had the fatigue and brain fog that you mention, and constant low-grade nausea, and after going through that, I just couldn't handle the thought of 12 more chemos week after week, so I went for the 4 bi-weekly option.

Everyone reacts differently, but for me, the 4 Taxols were much easier to tolerate than the AC. With the taxol, the main thing I noticed was nail color changes, itchy skin (if I had sun exposure - it was summer when I did the Taxol), and BONE PAIN especially after I had the Neulasta injection to boost WBC. The bone pain was pretty bad (knees, back and shoulders felt like I'd been beaten up), but it only lasted for about 2 days, and subsequent infusions and injections were more tolerable. I had zero bone pain by the 4th infusion. Daily Claritin, and daily exercise made a huge difference in lessening the bone pain. I used cold mitts and booties to prevent neuropathy, but I still developed occasional tingling in my fingertips, very minor though.

I'd asked my oncologist about the difference between 4 dose-dense and 12 weekly Taxol. My team said the dose-dense is more effective against aggressive breast cancer, and the week off between infusions allows patients some recovery break, but at the same time some patients have slightly stronger reactions because of the higher chemo dose. They actually observed more neuropathy and steroid-related complaints in the patients who did the 12-weekly regimen because that meant the body was on the chemo drugs for an extra month duration.

My oncologist said I always had the option of switching to the 12 weekly if I couldn't tolerate the dose-dense version, but everything turned out ok and I was glad to be finished a month sooner.