Cisplatin and Etoposide IV

Dear Mid Wales Parky

My name is Rae and I am a cancer information nurse specialist here at Macmillan Cancer Support.

We can see that you are an active member of our Ovarian Cancer Forum.  We hope that you are finding it a supportive environment.

We have taken a look at your ‘bio’ and can see that you were diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer in 2023.

You would like to know, on average, the time taken to deliver cisplatin IV.  We have looked at a gynaecological cancer chemotherapy protocol which says that a dose of 50mg/m2 diluted in 1000ml sodium chloride 0.9% with 20mmols potassium chloride should be given at a rate of 1mg per minute, with a minimum infusion time of 120 minutes.  This of course, may well be a different protocol than you are receiving, so it is always worthwhile speaking to your chemotherapy nurses, so that they can explain the timings of your regime. 

Your second question is in relation to post illness anyone has suffered.  It may well be worth posting this question in the main forum.  As you know, chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer.  This has an effect on your immune system making you more susceptible to infection.  There are three main types of infection that you might develop:

Bacterial infections:  These can occur in various parts of the body, including the lungs (pneumonia), urinary tract (water infection) and blood stream (sepsis).

Viral infections: Common viruses like the flu or a cold.

Fungal infections: These can affect the mouth (oral thrush), skin and other areas.

Always contact your urgent chemotherapy unwell telephone number if you have any new or worsening symptoms.  They should have provided this when you started treatment.  Symptoms include either a high or low temperature, above 37.5°C or below 36°C, chills or shivering, sore throat and/or cough, diarrhoea or pain when passing urine.

In your bio Mid Wales Parky you say that your diagnosis should have been picked up earlier.  We know this cannot be changed, but if you have not already done so, you can give feedback regarding your GP practice.

Being diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment can give you a variety of emotions and it is important to seek help if they are having a detrimental effect on you.  We have local teams who can offer face to face support, access to free counselling and support groups.

Please do feel that you can speak to our nurses about any of the above information, we are here to support you and offer a safe, confidential service between the hours of 8am and 8pm every day. 

The telephone number is 0808 808 00 00.

Best wishes

Rae, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

Ref/RH/KHa

Thanks Rae; it looks like it'll be a minimum of half a day, then by the time they've warmed veins in my hand that don't normally need warming (I have very "good" veins), explained that the hospital pharmacy is late (as usual) in sending down the Cisplatin (or the Etoposide capsules), given flushes and removed the cannula. Please excuse my cynicism, but it's been a difficult 21 months to put it mildly! If it's potentially 2 hours of plain Cisplatin IV, then my treating hospital can easily double that and make it half a day. No problem. I am not actually receiving it yet, but hoping to next week or, if not the week after. I don't want it put off for 2 weeks from yesterday (which is when I had my normal "pre SACT" TAC (telephone consultation) because, as it is, they cancelled my Paclitaxel last week (and this week, which would normally have been today), citing the BH as an excuse for last week's cancellation and a change in regime for this week's cancellation. In fact, last week it was just that they cancelled all palliative patients' chemo.  I have all the rest of the info you provided permanently imprinted on my brain, thank you - especially the bit about infections as I spent 3/4 of July suffering from a viral infection which no medic has ever even bothered actually confirming WAS a viral infection. It's all just been powers of deduction - by me! Having spent 2 days as an in-patient in hospital as a result, the last thing I want is to do that again, I can assure you! Plus I lost 3 weeks of my normally very active and relatively "well" (considering) life, so I'm pretty careful about any raised or lowered temperature. Moan/rant over :0) and thank you very much for your help on this.