What does Erbitux do to help patients? They have stopped by chemo after 5 treatments and want to start Erbitux and need information. If anyone has that information I would appreciate it. Thanks, Angel

I got Erbitux during my treatment, Angel. My understanding of it is that its a 'targeted' therapy that goes after the DNA of the cancer cells and prevents them from dividing. No cell division equals no new cancer growth.

I also had Erbitux which technically is not chemotherapy but monoclonal antibody therapy. It blocks the EGFR (growth) receptors throughout the body but since the Cancer cells are the hungriest and fastest growing, it hammers them the most. As noted in other posts, there is some evidence that Erbitux also greatly enhances the effect of radiation upon the cancer cells since usually the cancer cells can rebuild themselves faster than normal cells. It is also used when chemo doesn't work out so well. I am convinced it saved me. Less poison and more burning. Although it did take six months for my fingernails to start growing again.

Oops almost forgot to add an amusing fact about Erbitux: It is a chimera -(remember your Illiad by Homer). It is based on a MOUSE gene that has been altered to affect humans. The official literature language is: "a chimera comprising human and mouse monoclonal antibodies against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)"
I am eating a lot more cheese nowadays

Not sure about mice, but the pet rats, errr, Long-Tailed Norwegian Hamsters, that I have had didn't particularly care for cheese -- However, if you have a new longing for peanut butter, then the effect is there!

I just saw a hour long show on rats. They are amazing creatures to say the least. Just one of the things I found amazing was one of the favorite baits for traps is INSULATION. That speaks volumes about their resolve.

We have to deal with rats in our restaurant during the cold months when they want to come inside and the last thing a restaurateur wants is to have a cute little rat peaking it's head out in front of a customer so naturally we leave them up to the experts. Now I refuse to let them use glue boards but then again we must get rid of them so they use these bait boxes where they go in and die out of sight. So the other morning I cut the light on in the kitchen to open up and sure enough I saw one scurry into a crack. I called the experts and they came out only to tell me that "someone" had removed all the boxes. I was like WHO in the world would do something like that? and then it dawned on me....my dear darling wife. So now we have to be very careful not to tip her off. I wish there was another way but they just won't listen to reason.

Angel

Let me be clear that I was just adding some levity in my second post and the other posters appear to be joining in the fun. There is ZERO known risk or side effects of becoming mouse like. I will leave out any psychological assessments of Pete and David focusing on rats. Erbitux is the biggest breakthru in treating oral cancer of the century. I hope it works as well for you as it did for me.

Charm, What are the side effects of Erbitux? When you stated it is the biggest breakthrough in treating oral cancer reckon why they would use the cisplatin on me instead of the Erbitux to begin with?

Thank ya'll for your responses. Angel

The two drugs are completely different in their mechanism of action. Erbitux is usually not used as a mono therapy by itself. It is a monoclonal antibody, (read more about targeted therapies on the main site) and interrupts a particular function of the cell life cycle. (Reproduction) Cisplatin is a poison, it kills everything. So since cancer cells divide and replicate much faster than normal cells, wouldn't it be cool if you could interfere with that ability while you were killing the crap out of them so there were fewer that you had to kill, and perhaps less time that you had to spend doing so? If you put Erbitux and Cisplatin or another poison together, this is essentially what you have done.

I had Erbitux with my Rads, but sure couldn't say what it did or didn't do to the cancer,Had the seed implnats too and I have no idea which of them did what. I do know my cancer is supposedly gone.