Reviewer: 55-64 Male on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)

Comment:
Lots of unpleasant side effects

Comment:
Lots of unpleasant side effects
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Reviewer: 45-54 Female on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Caregiver)

Comment:
My mom used Sutent - 4 weeks into it she got pneumonia,, doc did x ray found out her heart had been damaged from the Sutent much like another poster's wife. She never recovered from pneumonia, she got a bit better but had to be on oxygen the final 4 months of her life due to the heart damage and had persistent coughing which wore her out. I'm thankful it is working for so many, but peo ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
My mom used Sutent - 4 weeks into it she got pneumonia,, doc did x ray found out her heart had been damaged from the Sutent much like another poster's wife. She never recovered from pneumonia, she got a bit better but had to be on oxygen the final 4 months of her life due to the heart damage and had persistent coughing which wore her out. I'm thankful it is working for so many, but people should know heart damage is a real possibility as side effect so they can watch for signs. The last thing mom needed was heart problems... They thought she had clogged arteries so did tests, said her arteries were "pristine". But damage had been done to the heart from Sutent in only 4 weeks, that ultimately led to her dying from heart failure. Please - if you take Sutent watch for shortness f breath and swelling. God Bless everyone reading this page, it is a horrible cancer to battle.
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Reviewer: sutent killed my wife, 45-54 Male on Treatment for less than 1 month (Caregiver)

Comment:
My wife (49) was diagnosed with kidney cancer in december of 2010, she had a partial nephrectomy for the tumor. About 8 months later i noticed a lump right on her scar line towards her back, she had a ct scan done and it was confirmed as cancer. She was referred to cancer and kidney specialists and was set up to take sutent 50mg. She was on her third week of taking the pills and started to experie ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
My wife (49) was diagnosed with kidney cancer in december of 2010, she had a partial nephrectomy for the tumor. About 8 months later i noticed a lump right on her scar line towards her back, she had a ct scan done and it was confirmed as cancer. She was referred to cancer and kidney specialists and was set up to take sutent 50mg. She was on her third week of taking the pills and started to experience mouth sores, vomiting, no apetite and general weakness. At this point i took her to the ER to have them help with the nausea and mouth sores. She was admitted at her own request. The next day she had been seen by a nutritionist and a kidney DR, also an infectious disease DR. He in formed her that she had a UTI. I spoke with her on the phone that night and she seemed ok and said that she was able to drink a can of ensure thanks to the oral medication for her mouth sores. The next morning i received a call from her doctor who said that she was having trouble breathing and they had to intubate her per her permission, he asked if she had any asthma problems or allergies and i said no. The doctor called me back about 20 min later and said that her heart had stopped 3 times. I was at the hospital by now and saw her in ICU and basicly on life support. He said she had fluid in her lungs and fluid around her heart and here organs were being compromised due to the lack of oxygen. Her pupils were unresponsive and to make a long story short, she passed away several days later after 3 more heart failures, nothing else could be done. WHAT HAPPEND? What happened overnight in such a short time, this was a nightmare! I feel the sutent compromised her immune system which caused her UTI to become septic and therefore kill her!
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Reviewer: Joan, 55-64 Female on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Caregiver)

Comment:
Three years ago my father was diagnosed with Stage IV renal cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. Without any treatment, he was given 6 months to live. He was too ill to tolerate surgery so we decided to try Sutent. He was initially given 50mg daily and became deathly ill. The Sutent was then decreased to 25mg which he tolerated fairly well. He has experienced all the side effect (fatigue ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
Three years ago my father was diagnosed with Stage IV renal cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. Without any treatment, he was given 6 months to live. He was too ill to tolerate surgery so we decided to try Sutent. He was initially given 50mg daily and became deathly ill. The Sutent was then decreased to 25mg which he tolerated fairly well. He has experienced all the side effect (fatigue, diarrhea, swollen ankles, hair turning gray, hypertension, watery eyes, etc) plus some. The cancer shrunk significantly and is now basically in a "hibernation" mode. Currently, he is doing fairly well and we feel blessed to have him here. Here's the new problem. The Sutent appears to be damaging his kidney function. Dad's kidney function tests went from 58% in 2008 to 44% in 2009, to 21% in 2011 (for some reason it was missed in 2010). If Dad drops to 15% we will need to start dialysis 3 times a week. Not a great option. We are now torn between trying a new medication or spreading out the time between dosage breaks. So, watch your kidney function closely. Controlling cancer is one thing but killing your kidneys in the process is not good either.
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Reviewer: still alive, 55-64 Male on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Patient)

Comment:
Had rcc in lungs about 5 years. On Sutent about 4 years. Minimal growth each cat-scan. Tired heavy feeling legs,loss of appetite, heart burn, sensitive mouth, some diaherra & fatige, watery, puffy eyes are the main side effects experienced. As time goes by, feeling more tired,less energy. Overall has been keeping the tumors small with minimal growth.

Comment:
Had rcc in lungs about 5 years. On Sutent about 4 years. Minimal growth each cat-scan. Tired heavy feeling legs,loss of appetite, heart burn, sensitive mouth, some diaherra & fatige, watery, puffy eyes are the main side effects experienced. As time goes by, feeling more tired,less energy. Overall has been keeping the tumors small with minimal growth.
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