Ok folks, I apologize for the long time between posts. The past couple months have been a bit crazy but I think things are finally settling out.
First, the good news: I have begun a new immunotherapy trial!!!
Pretty excited about this. It is very similar to a trial that I was trying to get on but had closed too soon. However it is down in Los Angeles so I will be traveling down South every two weeks for an unforeseeable amount of time. It is possible to transfer treatment to Portland but I don't know the timeline of that just yet. Of course to get on a trial you need progressive disease. My scans showed only a small amount of growth but enough to make me eligible. Luckily no new spread of disease.
The Phase 1 trial scene is crazy. I was flying up and down the coast to get my name on as many lists as possible and even when you sign consent nothing is guaranteed. Today was the start of treatment so I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I am pretty excited about this new treatment as it targets the PD-L1 protein and has shown very good results for bladder cancer.
Here's a YouTube link on PDL1
Some Results from the PD-L1 trial by Genentech (not the exact drug I am on)
Such great news, Phil!! thanks for sharing! I'll be in LA for 2 weeks at Christmas, so let me know if you have time to kill. good luck & take care. Michelle P.
ReplyDeleteThat's great news. Powerful stuff. While you are down in LA, consider making a side trip to J-tree NP. Great place to visit, especially in the winter - hiking it wonderful. Even better if you bring and use climbing gear :-) There are some really fun traverses that need no rope/pad - like this one: http://www.mountainproject.com/v/gunsmoke/105722350
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got into a new trial!! I am really happy to hear that there are so many different trials going on. It means there are a lot of smart people providing a ton of hope and possibilities. Hope you get a chance to have some fun in the sun. Maybe you can ride one of their great SoCal Coasters. We love Xcelerator at Knottsberry:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.knotts.com/rides/Roller-Coasters-1-5-12-35/Xcelerator