How many rounds of xeloda

Treatment given before surgery to weaken or shrink the cancer is called neoadjuvant treatment. One way doctors judge the effectiveness of neoadjuvant treatment is to look at the tissue removed during surgery to see if any cancer cells are present. Many doctors believe that a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant treatment means the cancer is less likely to come back. The study was presented on Dec. Disease-free survival is how long a woman lives without the cancer coming back recurrence.

Overall survival is how long a woman lives with or without the cancer coming back. Adriamycin chemical name: doxorubicin and Ellence chemical name: epirubicin are examples of anthracyclines. Taxol chemical name: paclitaxel and Taxotere chemical name: docetaxel are examples of taxanes.

Before you start to take it Your doctor must know about all the following before you start to take Xeloda. Tell your doctor if: You are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Xeloda may be harmful to an unborn baby when taken by a pregnant woman. It is not recommended that you take Xeloda while you are pregnant. Additionally, if you are a woman, you should use effective contraception to avoid becoming pregnant while you are taking Xeloda; You are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed.

It is not known whether Xeloda and 5-FU pass into breast milk. You doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of you taking Xeloda if you are breast-feeding; You have any other health problems, especially the following: Heart disease; Liver disease; Kidney disease; You are dehydrated. Some signs and symptoms of dehydration include: Dry skin; Dark coloured urine; Thirst; Weakness or fatigue; Loss of appetite; You are allergic to any other medicines, foods, dyes or preservatives; If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you start taking Xeloda.

Taking other medicines Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines including any that you have bought without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. Some medicines may interfere with Xeloda. These medicines include: Warfarin Coumadin, Marevan , a medicine used to thin the blood; Phenytoin Dilantin , a medicine used to treat epilepsy and heart irregularities; Leucovorin, also called folinic acid, a medicine used to treat folic acid deficient anaemias; Antacids, medicines used to treat heart burn or indigestion.

How to take Xeloda How much to take Take Xeloda exactly as your doctor has prescribed. Use in elderly The same dose is recommended for elderly patients given Xeloda alone. How to take it Swallow the tablets whole with a glass of water. Do not chew the tablets. When to take it Take Xeloda tablets twice a day morning and evening. Take Xeloda tablets at about the same time each day. If you are not sure when to take Xeloda, ask your doctor.

How long to take Xeloda The duration of treatment with Xeloda varies, depending on the nature of your illness and your individual response to the treatment. Continue taking Xeloda until your doctor tells you to stop. If you forget to take Xeloda Do not take an extra dose. Wait until the next dose and take your normal dose then.

Do not try to make up for the dose that you missed by taking more than one dose at a time. If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist. If you take too much overdose Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre Australia telephone 13 11 26; New Zealand telephone for advice or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Xeloda. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

You may need urgent medical attention. Keep telephone numbers for these places handy. If you are not sure what to do, contact your doctor or pharmacist. While you are taking Xeloda Things you must do Tell all doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking Xeloda. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while taking Xeloda. Tell your doctor immediately if you develop diarrhoea more than 4 bowel movements each day. Tell your doctor immediately if you develop pain, redness, swelling or sores in the mouth.

Tell your doctor if, for any reason, you have not taken your medicine exactly as prescribed. Tell your doctor if you feel the tablets are not helping your condition. Be sure to keep all of your appointments with your doctor so that your progress can be checked. Things you must not do Do not stop taking Xeloda or change the dose without first checking with your doctor.

Do not let yourself run out of medicine over the weekend or on holidays. Do not give Xeloda to anyone else even if they have the same condition as you.

Things to be careful of Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Xeloda affects you. After taking Xeloda Storage Keep your tablets in their container until it is time to take them. If you take the tablets out of their container they may not keep well. Do not store it, or any other medicine, in a bathroom or near a sink.

Do not leave it in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines. Keep Xeloda where young children cannot reach it. Disposal If your doctor tells you to stop taking Xeloda, or the medication has passed its expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any tablets that are left over. Before starting capecitabine 4. How is capecitabine taken? Side effects of capecitabine 6.

Other important information 7. Further support. Capecitabine is a chemotherapy drug. Capecitabine is the non-branded name of the drug, but you may also hear it called by its brand name Xeloda. Studies have shown that some people with primary breast cancer may benefit from capecitabine. This includes people with breast cancer that is triple negative. People who have chemotherapy before surgery may be offered capecitabine after their surgery.

Capecitabine may be offered as part of a clinical trial. Before starting your treatment many hospitals will arrange a chemotherapy information session. You should have blood tests and some people will have an ECG electrocardiogram , a simple test that checks your heart rhythm. Your height and weight will also be measured, to work out the correct dose of chemotherapy for you. You usually take the capecitabine tablets twice a day in the morning and evening for 14 days and then have a 7-day break from taking the tablets.

This day period is one treatment cycle. Capecitabine is available in two different tablet strengths: mg or mg. If you miss a dose of capecitabine, do not take an extra dose to make up for the one you missed. Take the next dose at the usual time and speak to someone in your treatment team. Most people tolerate capecitabine well as the side effects are often mild and can usually be controlled.

However, everyone reacts differently to drugs. Some people have more side effects than others, and the side effects described here will not affect everyone. Your specialist can reduce or delay the dose of capecitabine you take if the side effects become too severe. Reducing the dose of capecitabine is common and the treatment can still be effective at a lower dose.

Blood is made up of red cells, white cells and platelets. If the number of blood cells is too low, your next cycle of treatment may be delayed or the dose of chemotherapy reduced. Your treatment team may give you guidelines to follow for reporting signs of an infection, but generally you should contact your hospital immediately if you experience any of the following:.

Before starting chemotherapy you should be given a hour contact number or told where to get emergency care by your treatment team.

You may need antibiotics. Sometimes your doctor may recommend injections of drugs called growth factors. This helps the body produce more white blood cells to reduce your risk of infection. Having too few red blood cells is called anaemia. If you feel particularly tired, breathless or dizzy, let your treatment team know. Capecitabine can reduce the number of platelets, which help the blood to clot. You may bruise more easily, have nosebleeds or your gums may bleed when you brush your teeth.

Tell your treatment team if you experience any of these symptoms. Tell your chemotherapy nurse or treatment team as they can prescribe medication and may consider stopping your capecitabine for a time to help control it. Hand-foot syndrome, often called Palmar-Plantar syndrome , is a common side effect of some chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast cancer. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet can become red and sore.

Sometimes you may also notice a tingling sensation, numbness or some swelling. The skin on your hands and feet may also become red, dry and flaky. This should improve if the treatment is delayed or if the dose is reduced. Although most people will not be sick vomit , anti-sickness drugs can help reduce or stop this happening, so take these as prescribed. Steroids may also be given to make the anti-sickness drugs work more effectively.

Your mouth and gums can become sore and small ulcers may develop.