Breast tumour drug could treat many skin cancer cases - Times Online

Breast tumour drug could treat many skin cancer cases - Times Online

Update

Hello everyone! We've been busy. We went to Charlotte for appointments on Wednesday. Bobby had to have a current MRI, CT scan, lab work, and physical that was within 4 weeks of starting the trial. It is planned to start on the 15th. The doctor saw Bobby yesterday and all of the scans look good. There is the one spot that is large enough to be eligible for the clinical trial. They found nothing new-which is great.
Bobby is feeling fine & doing well. He is a little tired today-but it was a long trip to Charlotte. It takes about 7 hours to get there. Bobby discovered a water leak in our basement last night. We spent the day sopping up water. It had run down over all of our stuff we store in the basement. Boxes and boxes to dry or repack... Luckily, we keep most of the stuff in plastic containers. All of the cardboard boxes were soaked and falling apart. Yuck!I found two newborn kittens on our deck Sunday evening. The mother wanted nothing to do with them. Of course, I couldn't leave them out there-they were crying really loudly. Soooo, I've been hand feeding these two tiny babies since Monday. Kittens this size (with no mother) don't usually survive. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We certainly don't need any more kittens, but it was very sad to find them without a mother. The babies rode along with us to Charlotte. They need fed every 2-3 hours. So far, they are doing very well. We have another cat that is very pregnant. My hope is that after she delivers her kittens, we can give her my other two (don't tell her). She adopted 3 the last time that weren't hers. Thank you Jeb & Danielle for adopting them. I was thinking that I need to start a shelter-and get them away from my house. Well, Bobby just brought me dinner. Grilled chicken breasts, asparagus, & pasta. I might just eat it and fall asleep. We don't EVER eat dinner in bed!

Changes seem to work out for the better

We received a call on Friday around 5PM from North Carolina. Due to an overwhelming need for patients to get into this clinical trial, they moved Bobby's start date to Sept. 15. We also decided to change the dates of the tests from this coming Tuesday to the 26th. We had planned to drive down Monday & return Tuesday night late so we were back before school starts (Wednesday). Now, we won't have to drive back late & we'll still be home for Wednesday. Also, since his start date was changed, Julie will be able to go to her horse show that first weekend in September. She hasn't shown her horse all season (she gave up show season so that the family could take "The Big Trip!") There is one show left--and we were going to have to miss it to be in NC. Everything is working out very well.

The first question we asked was, "Why was Bobby bumped back 2 weeks-instead of another patient." They were very nice and said that they (doctor & staff) had discussed this issue prior to moving the dates. She said that, in the time since we got into the trial, other patients have come in that are needing in this trial due to severe situations. The doctor felt that Bobby's disease progression was slow and that 2 weeks was not an issue. Unfortunately, there are patients that are far worse. Bobby agreed that 1)as long as he would still be guaranteed a spot in the trial & 2) if it might help someone in greater need, he was also comfortable waiting for 2 weeks.

Things we haven't even asked for are getting taken care of for us.

Bobby surprised me with a Corel Photoshop program for my new laptop-with which he also surprised me!

Ok...here is where we are now

We got a call from the doctor in North Carolina yesterday. The board of physicians & researchers met on Monday to discuss cases for the clinical trial. Although(last week) the doctor had felt some of the melanoma spots had decreased or stayed the same, they were able to find that one spot in his right lung that was greater than 1cm. Having had everything decrease would have been great but again, we are looking at the positive side of this...which is: 1) No more IL-2 & 2) The opportunity to receive this drug in the clinical trial.

**We pray for healing, but as we've been shown, we know not what The Plan holds for us**

So, here is what we expect will happen. At the beginning of next week, Bobby needs to be in NC for new CT & MRI scans, blood work, and tests required to start the clinical trial. Then, perhaps around 8/31 or the following week, we will return to NC for the start of the trial. At first, the time spent in NC will be much greater than it will require as the trial progresses. At first, it will require about a week of staying there and then returning every 3 weeks for a few months. As time goes on, the frequency that the drug is given spaces out--and we'll be glad for that. School starts next week-great timing...what ever happened to school starting the day after Labor Day? Bummer, it is right in the middle of Summer! I'll post more tomorrow or Friday.please email any questions you have, I'll be sure to answer them--I'm not sure how detailed to get or what I might be missing! It has taken me all day to get this posted online.

Researchers Shut Off Immune Cell Inhibition, Causing Tumor Shrinkage and Autoimmunity in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

This article is not very current but it does do a nice job of describing the aspects of the clinical trial in NC. Monday is coming...and is the day the doctors in NC will review everything and decide what to do.

CLICK HERE for the article

OK... *The purpose of today's visit was to try to get into this clinical trial...

So, Dr.Amin compared dot for dot on scans of Bobby's lungs & says he CAN'T say that FOR ALL MEASURABLE PURPOSES he sees much growth of cancer!
Dr.Amin could not find a spot big enough to GUARANTEE a spot in this trial. He feels that PERHAPS the IL-2 was working by not letting it grow.
If the IL-2 is working, we have to look at the risks of the cl.trial vs. more IL2 (Bobby said he'd suck it up if its working!)
They will still proceed with cl.trial process.He may not get into trial BECAUSE HE ISNT BAD ENOUGH-which is certainly great news!

So this is very good news (sorry to spread via mobile) but the world was waiting. Celebrate & give thanks with us. WEAR SUNBLOCK!

We won't hear decision until next week as Dr. Amin wants to continue to review and consult with other doctors.

We are on our way to the appointment in Charlotte. We drove down yesterday(7hrs). We e have been treated with Southern Hospitality!