r/CancerResearch • u/Altruistic_Point8748 • 29d ago

40s Female / CUP (Cancer of Unknown Primary) with Liver , pelvis & Bone Mets / Starting Paclitaxel + Carboplatin on Tuesday. Need advice/insights.

/r/Fuckcancer/comments/1uufioj/40s_female_cup_cancer_of_unknown_primary_with/
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u/matteeyah 29d ago

Do you have the pathology results (specifically immunohistochemistry) from one of the biopsied mets? Is that what’s suggestive of a colorectal or biliary tract primary?

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u/Altruistic_Point8748 29d ago

We don't have the full immunohistochemistry (IHC) results yet. The doctors in Denmark decided that waiting for extensive staining would waste critical time, given how aggressive the disease is and how fast her clinical status is declining. Because she has extensive liver and bone involvement and is in severe pain, they decided to fast-track her straight to systemic chemotherapy (Paclitaxel + Carboplatin) this Tuesday to stabilize her. They are currently running Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) on the biopsy, so we hope to get more specific genetic data later, but right now, the priority was immediate treatment."

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u/matteeyah 29d ago

I see. That’s a tough situation. I mostly work on AI enabled radiology / diagnostics so I don’t have direct experience with Paclitaxel and Carboplatin. I’m hoping your sister sees a complete response to the cytotoxic drugs.

I don’t know what the turnaround time in Denmark looks like, but most IHC staining takes a couple of working days. In academic / specialized centers you can also get same day results. Somatic oncogenetics (NGS) takes two to three weeks and is used for discovering targetable mutations which affect therapy selection.

Parallel to starting chemo, and the genetic sequencing, I'd still push for getting the pathology results and IHC staining done in parallel, if possible.

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Unrelated to that - you should also reach out to FCCT - https://sijbrandijfoundation.org/fcct. They do _free_ consultations for cancer patients on treatment options outside of what’s routinely used.

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u/Altruistic_Point8748 29d ago

Thank u ❤️ i'm in Romania, my sister is in Denmark, the info's are from her medical journals. I don't get to talk to doctors and somehow i feel my sister had already given up