PARC-inhibitor treatment

Hi Coco2121875592 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I’m Anne, one of the Community Champions here on the Online Community and, although I'm not a member of this group, I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. Responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list again.

While you're waiting for replies, it would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and proposed treatment into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

Hi, I’m recently diagnosed with brca 1 even though I was originally diagnosed with cancer 19 years ago.. I’m currently on Carboplatin after trying Elacestrant, I’ve only had one infusion though.  I know is not much help but just wanted to respond so that you know people are reading your post. 

Thank you 

wishing you all the best with your treatment

Hi Coco,

I had bc in 2021, found out about my brca1 mutation in 2022 and took olaparib (parp-inhibitor) for one year from March 2022-March 2023. It's a while ago now (feels longer than it is!), but as I remember, the first few weeks I started on olaparib were a bit rough - the first week in particular felt like having a bad flu and I remember thinking gosh how will I cope with a year of this! Things did improve quite quickly though, and my body soon adjusted to it. After maybe the first 4-6 weeks, I felt mostly normal and went about my day-to-day life as usual. I had regular blood tests (I'm not 100% but I think they went from every 2 weeks, to every month, to every two months) and appointments with my oncologist to make sure my body was handling it ok. My kidney function decreased whilst taking olaparib (it's very important to stay well hydrated), but this was reversed once I stopped taking it. My white blood cells were also lower than average when taking it, so I exercised some caution.

Out of interest, will you take olaparib at the same time as having chemo or other treatment? I took it at the very end of my treatment because it had only just been approved for use in people in our situation, but I'm curious if it's now offered in parallel to standard treatment.

I was quite scared that my cancer would come back after my treatment finished and honestly, olaparib gave me great peace of mind at the time. 

xx