Tagrisso arrives at Morris Grove

As mentioned in the previous post, I have been prescribed Tagrisso (osimertinib). I take one tablet daily. I will continue to take TAGRISSO until the cancer comes back and progresses or I experience unacceptable toxicity. In truth, this drug only protects for a while because the cancer cells eventually become resistant. No-one knows how long it will take for the cancer to return.

An important part of the “how long have I got?” story is how much damage the chemo-radiation treatments did to the cancer activity sites in my lung. The more damage to the cancer from those treatments, the smaller the amount of cancer in my body, and the longer the drug will be able to do the job. At this stage we do not know how the cancer responded to the chemoradiation. We will have a clearer understanding after I have a CT scan (12 December) and we see the radiation oncologist 16 December, 2024.

The fact that I am on Tagrisso now indicates that “complete response” (all cancer destroyed by chemo radiation) is not the expected outcome. The most likely result is “partial response”, meaning that the chemoradiation reduced the size of the primary tumour and hopefully all or most of the activity in the two lymph nodes. The good news, whatever the impact of chemoradiation, is that unless I have a severe toxic reaction, or unbearable side effects, I will be around for a few more gym classes, book group meetings, shows, operas, cocktail parties, lunches, dinners, birthdays, Christmases, and Mardi Gras. Look out!