Hi Diana,
I was asssigned to the taxotere/cisplatin arm of a phase 3 clinical trial.
Diagnosis lists of clinical trials can be found at:
http://wwwicic.nci.nih.gov/prot/dismenu.html
At the present time, taxotere for NSCLC is only available in the US on
clinical trial.
Feb. 6, 1997 -- Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc. announced today that regulatory
authorities in Chile and India have cleared Taxotere for use in the treatment
of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Worldwide, Taxotere has now
been cleared in 49 countries. In 23 of those countries, it is the only taxoid
to be approved for use in the treatment of NSCLC. In the United States,
Taxotere is indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or
metastatic breast cancer whose disease has progressed during
anthracycline-based therapy or who have relapsed during anthracycline-based
adjuvant therapy. Taxotere is not approved in the U.S. for NSCLC. "RPR
purposely selected Taxotere for development because of its high activity
observed in many preclinical studies," said Dr. Manfred Karobath, Executive
Vice President, RPR, and President, Research and Development. In patients
with normal liver function, side effects reported to date include
neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, fluid retention, hypersensitivity,
nausea and diarrhea. A premedication regimen with corticosteroids is
recommended in order to prevent or reduce the severity of fluid retention and
hypersensitivity. Taxotere is not appropriate therapy for some patients with
liver impairment. RPR's new anticancer agent has been studied extensively in
clinical trials worldwide. Additional clinical trials are under way in
several countries to investigate the efficacy and safety of Taxotere in other
cancers.
I go to the Menomonee Falls, WI Cancer Care Clinic. I was admitted to the
hospital for 24 hrs. for each tx. Meno Falls is a suburb of Milwaukee. My
doctor is the head of the clinic and used to teach at the Wis. Medical
College.
I had an abnormal x-ray on 10/21/96. I had unsuccessful lung surgery on
12/15/96 which confirmed lung cancer - stage 4. I had my first chemo on
1/7/97 with tx scheduled for every 3 weeks. We had to delay tx twice for 1
week, once for low WBC and once when my mother died. I had CT-scans after
every 2 tx. After 2 tx, my tumors had shrunk 50%. I had the option of
dropping out of the trial if I wasn't satisfied with the progress, or if the
side-effects were too bad. I stayed.
After 6 tx, about 5/20/97, my CT-scan showed all the tumors were gone, a
complete response. My doctor wasn't sure what to do next because complete
responses with stage IV LC are still relatively rare, and std. care just says
give 6 tx and wait for cancer to return. That sounded too pessimistic to me.
We discussed various options. With any other type of cancer he said he
treats to complete response and then 2 more tx to kill microscopic cells. I
decided to go with that option and hope for the best.
As far as doctors go, mine is very open-minded and optimistic. I'd bring in
articles off the Internet and he was familiar with all the alternatives.
After chemo he encouraged me to find another regimen - diet, vitamins, green
tea, garlic - that I could really believe in. He wants me to feel like I am
still actively involved in fighting the cancer, so I don't get that
post-chemo mental let-down that is so common. I also have to make some
life-style changes if I want to improve my body's chances of fighting off the
cancer if it tries to return. He just warned me to beware of scam artists
and discuss dosages, benefits, and negatives with him first.
By the way, I was also a big believer in listening to Bernie Siegel type
tapes every day, praying, and doing imagery before sleep every night. My
husband put up bird and squirrel feeders all around our patio to attract lots
of wildlife for me to watch - very calming. I took a 9 month disability
leave from work. I made removing stress from my life, getting better, and
helping my body destroy the cancer my full-time job.
Have a great weekend.
\\\~ ~///
(@ @)
---o00o---( )---o00o---------
| Tricia |
| Each day is a new life.|
| Seize it!! |
| Live it! |
0ooo
-------ooo0-----( ) --------
( ) ) /
\ ( (_ /
\_ )
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