Jane

How hard this must be for you. I'm not going to hijack your thread with my concerns about Erbitux. Instead I wanted to share what I, as a patient over 60 years old, personally experienced with Erbitux. The pain and suffering it caused me were excruciating beyond any of the other treatments. My face literally peeled off as the Erbitux supressed the EGFR that the radiation damaged skin needed to stay on and heal.
Meanwhile, since my HPV+ tumor did not express much EGFR, it ended up not helping the radiation kill the cancer.
I am always puzzled by the manufacturer's assertion that Erbitux is less toxic and somehow better for the patient.
So my advice it to watch your mother's face. If it seems fine, that is great. But don't let the doctors string you along that the worse the reaction the better the drug is working. That is true only for the acne that many get.
The answer on Erbitux will not be known until more clinical trials are done. I wish the best for your mom
Charm


65 yr Old Frack
Stage IV BOT T3N2M0 HPV 16+
2007:72GY IMRT(40) 8 ERBITUX No PEG
2008:CANCER BACK Salvage Surgery
25GY-CyberKnife(5) 3 Carboplatin
Apaghia /G button
2012: CANCER BACK -left tonsilar fossa
40GY-CyberKnife(5) 3 Carboplatin

Passed away 4-29-13