Back in September I wrote that I was taking a chemo break
until December in order to improve my strength and energy. I wrote about a program that I had signed up
for at the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.
I have been following their program and have more energy and strength,
and I’ll write an entry describing the program and my results later in the
month when I get my final results.
Back to Chemo
In
the middle of December, I had a CT and resumed chemo on New Year’s Eve. The CT before by doctor’s appointment came
back with scary word such as,
“interval worsening of the patient's…neoplasm
with increase in overall tumor burden as seen by increased thickening and
progressive necrosis,”
”extension into the chest wall,”
“intubation
of the diaphragm with extensive mass effect upon the underlying liver,”
”near-complete collapse of the right middle lobe
and partial atelectasis of the right lower lobe,”
“significant mass effect upon the superior vena cava which
is almost completely effaced” (meaning
collapsed),
“frank invasion of the pericardium,” and
“suspicious thickening of the anterior medial left pleura
and left sternalis muscle, concerning for metastatic disease.”
The
report was arresting because there had not been any such language, at least not
in the ones that were released to me.
This report came from a CD of my images which differed from the one
automatically released to me through the hospital’s website..
The
report seems to have gotten my oncologist’s attention as well because he came
in and talked about a clinical trial that I might qualify for (I didn’t), and
he said he had some other options in mind as well.
National Cancer Institute Clinical Trial
In
response, I started looking at clinical trials online and came across one at
the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, MD. I sent an email asking for information
earlier in the week and completed my screening questionnaire yesterday. I should hear from a referral nurse on or
before next Thursday. I am excited about
the trial and want very much to be included.
Here’s a link for anyone who might be interested in the trial: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT01583686
And here’s
a summary of what I understand the trial involves.
1. If I am accepted, I’ll go to the NCI for a
thorough workup.
2. Then they will remove white cells from my
blood and raise billions of new, experimental white blood cells which will be
infected by a retrovirus. The virus
inserts DNA into the white cells which will allow them to kill my meso cells.
3. Cells
display signaling molecules on the outer surface that tell the immune system
what kind of cell they are, friend or foe.
When the immune system has been exposed to a foreign cell, it becomes
sensitized and kills others as it finds them.
As normal cells change to become cancer cells, they have to mutate in
some way to hide from the immune system or they would never develop into
full-blown cancer cells. My kind of mesothelioma
cells express an almost unique signaling molecule, called mesothelin, that
identifies them, but they also tell the immune system that they are not
foreign. Supposedly, the experimental white
cells will have the ability to identify the mesothelioma cells and kill them.
4. When the experimental cells are ready, drugs
will be used to kill many of my white blood cells, and they will be replaced by
an infusion of the experimental cells back into my bloodstream. I will also be given a drug to stimulate the
new cells. I would be in the hospital
for probably four weeks as they monitor my progress and problems. It will not be pleasant, but it could be
lifesaving, and I am excited about the possibility of being involved in this
research, even if it is as a subject.
If I
am accepted, I will document my experiences on the blog.
David
