What if systemic chemotherapy fails?

If the cancer continues to grow the chemo is stopped and other drugs sought. If the cancer is responding but the kidneys or other complications set in, maybe stopping temporarily till things improved, then resuming treatments.

Depending on the criteria, there are many clinical trials investigating new drugs, combos and some targeted therapies like Avastin if the first treatment fails...there are 'second line treatments."

If there was a tumor to target, spot radiation could help control symptoms.

All the best,
Wendy

If you receive systemic chemotherapy with Gemcitabin and Cisplatin, the Oncologists will do a check half way through the 6 series to see if the chemotherapy has any effect.
They will also check if your kidneys etc. can handle the chemo.
Say you fail this check, or the chemo doesn’t have any effect.

What treatment can then be offered?

Say you clear this halfway check, and the chemotherapy appears to have an effect. You then continue and finish all 6 series of systemic chemotherapy.
Assume that at the end of the 6 series there are improvements, but still indications of cancer seen on the CT or MRI scans?

What treatment can then be offered?

Jan