Hi, I am new to the forum and trying to do as much research as possible on behalf of my Father who was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer last year, he had 8 cycles of Chemotherapy & immunotherapy - Capox & Nivolumab. The 8 cycles were super effective and reduced tumours. After 3 weeks however the tumour came back very aggressive. We was then prescribed 3 cycles of Docetaxel - this was very very harsh and first cycle really took its toll - leading to 9 days hospitalisation with Sepsis.
We sought a 2nd opinion from a leading London Private hospital and was assured all that was being done was about all that could be done, possibly the next few cycles of Docetaxel could be at a reduced dose to try and avoid adverse side affects.
there was also mention of an alternative chemotherapy called ramucirumab which isn't currently available on the NHS but we could seek costs paying for this privately. Apparantly this is used in conjunction with a 2nd part which is available on the NHS.
My question is, does anybody have any experience of ramucirumab, was it more or less effective than NHS prescribed medication.
also, what sort of costs was involved - did you pay per dose/per cycle??? What sort of costs could we expect if we did venture down this route?
any advice or assistance/experience would certainly be appreciated.
Thank you
Hi DazzaADB and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your fathers diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type or support challenges will help you a lot……. I have a completely different type of cancer and treatment journey.
This New to Community area is like our reception desk where we try to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our……
……. support group. This group is a safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same support journey.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your father and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our……
……. support group where you will connect with a wide range of members navigating the exact same support challenges.
To connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic Links” I have created above …… then once the group page opens click in the [ Black - Click to Join - Banner ] that appears at the bottom of the page and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [ + Create new post] or [ + ] in the top right of the group page.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow 3 working days for a reply.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and support all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
Pleased to help, all the very best to you father.
