#capecitabine

[jfthorismymuse]

Photo from yesterday May 15, 2019

I started tamoxifen today. It's an estrogen inhibitor I have to take for 5-10 years because my cancer was PR and HR positive. I'm HER2 negative. According to the doctor, that is the best thing to be if one has breast cancer. Tamoxifen common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and hot flashes. My hot flashes do seem a little more intense this evening, but maybe that's just in my head. The pills are tablets. They are bigger than I hoped. It mostly dissolved in my mouth before I was able to swallow it. Hopefully I'll get better at it. Otherwise it's going to be a long decade.

Monday I start my first of 8 cycles of capecitabine. A cycle is 2 weeks on and 1 week off. Common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and hand-foot syndrome. The pills are coming tomorrow. I'm hoping they will be small.

My skin has just 2 small sections of peeling skin. It's almost healed. One more week before I can switch to a regular lotion with vitamin E. Though I'll probably keep using the calendula cream until the redness goes away.

My left arm has regained my range of motion. My right arm is still a bit stiff.

That's all for now.

[jfthorismymuse]

Thank God for the internet.

The capecitabine arrived today. I'm supposed to take 3 pills twice a day with meals. I opened the package. They are not small. They are quite large.

I freaked. I can't swallow them. There is no way I'd be able to swallow them. Tears. Feelings of inadequacy. Anger. More tears. Lots of tears.

I finally calmed down enough to search online to see if I can cut them or something. Anything. No crushing. No cutting.

I can't swallow capecitabine pills. Please let there be something.

A UK hospital has a pdf. I click the link and get a blank screen. Then I see that my phone has downloaded it. "Dissolving capecitabine tablets" is the title. It has instructions on how to do just that. It warns that it will taste bitter. I can deal with bitter. Thank you. Thank you.

I will go buy a small travel plastic cup to carry around and do this. I will drink more water and take an altoid to stop the bitter taste. I can do this.

FYI- A good 40% of adults have trouble swallowing pills. Forty-fucking-percent. It's not just me. Fuck you, society, for making me feel so weird about it.

[jfthorismymuse]

June 13, 2019

First week into my 2nd cycle of capecitabine. I finally have a method of taking it that is tolerable. It involves a shot glass, a toothpick, Simply Smoothie, and as little water as possible.

My eyebrows are definitely thinning, so make-up to the rescue again. My nausea isn't as bad. My hands and feet are red, and my hands are starting to hurt. Mostly it makes me tired.

I already told my oncologist I won't be taking this when I go to New York in October. She said to let us take this one cycle at a time. That's fine with me, but I'm still not going to be taking it then. We'll see how many cycles I manage to complete.

The only way forward is through.

[anabelleskyla]

Say Goodbye to Store Lines - Order (Capecitabine) Xeloda Online

Seepage the hassle of waiting in long store lines for your health products. Embrace convenience by ordering your (Capecitabine) Xeloda online. With just a few clicks, have your products delivered to your doorstep. Say goodbye to the stress of store visits – streamline your healthcare experience and enjoy the ease of online product ordering.

[anabelleskyla]

Adjuvant Capecitabine for Early Breast Cancer: 15-Year Overall Survival Results From a Randomized Trial

The Finland Capecitabine Trial (FinXX) is a randomized, open-label, multicenter trial that evaluates integration of capecitabine to an adjuvant chemotherapy regimen containing a taxane and an anthracycline for the treatment of early breast cancer. Between January 27, 2004, and May 29, 2007, 1,500 patients with axillary node-positive or high-risk node-negative early breast cancer were accrued. The patients were randomly allocated to either TX-CEX, consisting of three cycles of docetaxel (T) plus capecitabine (X) followed by three cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and capecitabine (CEX, 753 patients), or to T-CEF, consisting of three cycles of docetaxel followed by three cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil (CEF, 747 patients). We performed a protocol-scheduled analysis of overall survival on the basis of approximately 15-year follow-up of the patients.

[anabelleskyla]

About Capecitabine (Xeloda)

Capecitabine interferes with DNA production. This stops cell growth and division, resulting in the slowing or stopping of cancer growth. Since cancer cells, in general, divide faster and with less error-correcting than healthy cells, cancer cells are more sensitive to this damage.

[anabelleskyla]

How is capecitabine taken?

Capecitabine is taken in cycles. Your specialist will prescribe a dose and regime that is appropriate for you. The drugs used, the dose, how often they’re given and the number of cycles may be called your chemotherapy regime or regimen.

Capecitabine is available in two different tablet strengths: 150mg or 500mg. You will be told how many of each tablet to take to make sure you get the right amount each day for your body size.

You will usually take the capecitabine tablets twice a day (in the morning and evening) for 14 days and then have a seven-day break from taking the tablets. This 21-day period is one treatment cycle. If you are prescribed capecitabine differently to the 21-day cycle your doctors will explain why.

You should swallow the tablets with water within half an hour of eating a meal.

[anabelleskyla]

XELODA contains the new chemical entity capecitabine (INN), a fluoropyrimidine carbamate.

Capecitabine is designed as a 'pro-drug' to the cytotoxic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and to be administered orally. 5-FU is a widely used cytotoxic agent. The human safety profile of 5-FU and its metabolite FBAL has been characterised through clinical trials and from many years of post-marketing experience.

The gastrointestinal absorption of capecitabine is nearly complete. Capecitabine is absorbed as unchanged parent substance but is subsequently substrate of enzymes and thus is nearly completely metabolised.

The metabolic pathway leads to production of 5’-DFCR via carboxylesterase (liver) and to 5’-DFUR via cytidine deaminase (liver and neoplastic tissue) and finally via thymidine phosphorylase to 5-FU. Thymidine phosphorylase is in higher concentration in neoplastic tissue, in comparison to healthy tissues, rendering capecitabine “tumour specific”. The catabolic pathway of 5-FU comprises dihydro5-fluorouracil (FUH2, via dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, DPD), 5-fluoro-ureidopropionic acid (FUPA) and α-fluoro-β-alanine (FBAL).