Can anyone give me any info about Erbitux?

Here is a link to another recent post about Erbitux.

http://oralcancersupport.org/forums...Words=erbitux&Search=true#Post117204

There is a search bar here on the forum and also on the main OCF pages. I didnt do a search on the main pages, but Im sure there is tons of info on Erbitux there too.

http://oralcancerfoundation.org/treatment/targeted_therapies.htm

information about targeted therapies in general, and a link at the bottom about how to deal with the rash that comes with Erbitux

My mom is on a combination treatment of chemo...neither one is Erbitux. her dr's at Anderson did not have good things to say about it. just something to think about!!

Hi Liz,

Just thought I would give you my 2 cents worth regarding Erbitux. My father was recently on the treatment as well and had a very severe reaction to it. His skin was scalded from the inside out on his face. One other person on this website had the same reaction and was able to help me walk my Dad through it all. The members name is "Charm". So watch to see if he has a reaction such as that. Other than that it seems to be a fairly good treatment from what I have heard. The side effects are not as severe as some of the others out there. The worst part appears to be the rash. Do not worry if the rash doesn't appear right away. It will get there...(I was wigging out that he did not have it until the middle of the 3rd week.) But we have since had the treatments stopped because of the burn. I really don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing! The Erbitux has been the least of my worries with my Dad. The radiation is what we were warned about from the get go and it is quite honestly the thing that is kicking his butt at this point. We have 10 more days of his radiation (35 total days.) and I am dreading these next few weeks of it! But I know we'll get through it! Stay tough...take care of yourself too! This website has been a God send to me...use the resources here and look for guidance here too! Every day I say my prayers and ask for God to help us all through it. Even if you are not religious take time every day to just breathe and relax. You have all of us pulling for you and your loved one!

Susan

You can also go on the website for the drug's manufacturer. That's what I had to do when my husband was on it as the doctor covering for his was a dumbass and claimed that none of the problems he was having was caused by it. Needless to say, when I checked the website-all the effects he was experiencing were listed!

Liz

As Susan mentioned, I've experienced the worst Erbitux rash my CCC has ever seen but in your husband's case, I wouldn't be worried about the rash. It's not apparent to me whether your Husband ever got any chemotherapy these last nine years, as what I read is all surgery and radiation. What chemotherapy does your Husband's medical team recommend?
I do regret not insisting on a combination of Erbitux and Carboplatin or Cisplatin - especially when my CCC MO switched me to Carboplatin after my cancer came back, saying that in his opinion my Cancer was Erbitux resistant. I do NOT regret getting even more radiation (25 GY over the 72 prior).
If the cancer is back, and the surgeon can't operate, please ask your doctors about more radiation (my second dose was via CyberKnife instead of IMRT) and Combination Chemotherapy) So far that has worked for me but as you know all too well, once the cancer starts coming back one never knows.
Charm
Charm

Thank you all for the info. I have been looking up everything that i can. I am concerned about the "rash". I am hoping it is not like a burn because he has had his share of radiation to both left and right side of the head and neck and also had radiation seeds inplanted. They are going to start him on a combo of Erbitux and Cisplatin tomorrow. I am going to ask the Oncologist if he should start him on Minocycline because in cases this has helped when given during the first few weeks of treatment. My husband's skin is very sensitive and i do not want an infection on top of everything else. He has never had any kind of chemo treatment so i am just trying to find out as much as i can to hopefully avoid any complication that might occur. Just as you all know, if i can avoid any additional discomfort i will do everything in my power to do so!!!!

The rash is more like pimples, not a burn. It can be very uncomfortable. I wish I could be of more help but I don remember a cream being given that has an antibiotic in it. Check with his doctor.

While SueMarie is correct that for the majority of Erbitux patients, the rash is pimple like or acne looking, some blue eyed fair skinned people like myself develop major skin peeling. On the positive side, despite all the "burns", I never once developed an infection nor did I ever need to be hydrated. Worst case scenarios seem to be a synergistic effect made worse by radiation.
Just monitor him very closely. I went too long with the doctors assurances before demanding more radical healing treatments. Since Erbitux disrupts the growth factor, in cases like mine, it actually prevents the new skin from growing.
Again, let's hope for pimples and acne. If the skin starts to slough, insist on getting standard burn treatment like Vigilon or some other dermal "second skin". It was a blessed relief to find a radiation nurse who clued us in Vigilon.
Glad to hear that his doctors are going the combo route and not relying just upon Erbitux.
Charm

One other thing that worked well when my Dad's skin started peeling was SAF-GEL. Charm turned me onto it and even though Dad's skin has started to heal up...it has also worked well on the area's where he is receiving the radiation. The other thing we used that worked unbelievably well was a wound dressing patch called, "MEDIHONEY". It was messy, but it worked almost overnight in help with healing his burn. When Charm mentioned in one of his correspondence that "Calcium Alginate" was in the SAF-GEL...I figured that since the honey patches had it in them as well I couldn't go wrong. These products are both OTC. But my pharmacy had to order them for me. Best of luck with all of it. We look forward to hearing how you are doing!

All the Best To You,
Susan