[Magdalen] Clinical trial

[Jay Weigel]

On Sun, Dec 11, 2016 at 5:41 PM Christopher Hart <cervus51 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Best wishes and prayers heading your way, Eleanor.
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> On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 12:52 PM Eleanor Braun <eleanor.braun at gmail.com>
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> wrote:
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> > You may recall that I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September
> 2014.
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> > Since then I've been through surgery and two rounds of chemotherapy.
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> > After my trip to Iona and England this last September, my cancer marker
> had
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> > once again gone up to the point where I needed further treatment.  After
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> > further tests and a visit to my top doc at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
> in
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> > Boston, I learned my options.
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> > For the first time those options included three clinical trials.  In the
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> > past I've been hesitant about clinical trials, mainly because they
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> > frequent trips to Boston from Cape Cod.  But now I'm more open to them.
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> > As I learned about the available trials, the one that really caught my
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> > attention was a combination of a standard chemotherapy with an
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> > immunotherapy drug.  That drug is the same one that was used to treat and
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> > cure Jimmy Carter's brain tumor (which was metastasized melanoma).
> Several
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> > trials are now being undertaken to test that approach on other tumors.
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> > So I had to wait until slots in the trial were opened up, and go through
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> > more tests and exams, but I will finally start treatment next Monday at
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> > Dana Farber.  I won't have to go every week; the chemo is given every
> four
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> > weeks, and the immuno treatment every three weeks.
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> > And I know I will be getting both drugs, not a placebo.  This is a phase
> 2
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> > trial, where they are testing the dosing and timing, but everybody gets
> the
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> > treatment.
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> > Tests so far have indicated the immuno drug has less side effects than
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> > regular chemo.  And I've tolerated the chemo side effects fairly well
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> > through the first two rounds.
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> > So I'm hopeful that this will be a tolerable treatment with the
> possibility
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> > of improvement, at least for a while.  Ovarian is regarded as an
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> > "aggressive" cancer, and the best hope is to keep beating it back as long
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> > as possible.
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> > Your prayers for peace and hope are welcome.
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> > Eleanor
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> Prayers and all good wishes. The immunotherapy drugs have come a LONG way
> since interferon!

And I saw the picture of Young Harold.....what a cutie! I have some
> appreciation for shi tzus since I met the one who used to live with
> Georgia+. Fine little fellows, big dogs in small bodies for sure.