J.C. Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Bill, I'm so sorry about your wife. Sending prayers. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Hi Bill, Just wanted you to know I've been thinking about you and your wife today. Also, I sent you another PM. Still praying . . . . Love, Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patty Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 So very sorry to hear this news. I do wish you both comfort and peace and a miracle. Patty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trish2418 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 So sorry to hear this. You and your wife are in my prayers. Trish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpawelski Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Tarceva is a "targeted" therapy, in that it halts the growth of certain cancers by zeroing in on a signaling molecule critical to the survival of those cancer cells. The drug is effective in about 10-15% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The drug works specifically in patients whose cancers contain mutations in a gene that encodes the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Lung cancer patients with these mutations are often people who have never smoked. Although these targeted therapies are initially effective in this subset of patients, the drugs eventually stop working, and the tumors begin to grow again. This is called acquired or secondary resistance. This is different from primary resistance, which means that the drugs never work at all. Initially, tumors have the kinds of mutations in the EGFR gene that were previously associated with responsiveness to these drugs. But, sometime tumors grow despite continued therapy because an additional mutation in the EGFR gene, strongly implies that the second mutation was the cause of drug resistance. Biochemical studies have shown that this second EGFR mutation, which was the same as before, could confer resistance to the EGFR mutants normally sensitive to these drugs. It is especially interesting to note that the mutation is strictly analogous to a mutation that can make it tumor resistant. Non-small cell lung cancer makes up about 80 percent of all lung cancers. Mutations in a gene called KRAS, which encodes a signaling protein activated by EGFR, are found in 15 to 30 percent of these cancers. The presence of a mutated KRAS gene in a biopsy sample is associated with primary resistance to these drugs. Tumor cells from patients in a study who developed secondary resistance to Tarceva after an initial response on therapy did not have mutations in KRAS. Rather, these tumor cells had new mutations in EGFR. This further indicates that secondary resistance is very different from primary resistance. All the EGFR mutation or amplification studies can tell us is whether or not the cells are potentially susceptible to this mechanism of attack. They don't tell you if Tarceva is better or worse than some other drug which may target this. There are differences. The drug has to get inside the cells in order to target anything. EGF-targeted drugs like Tarceva are poorly-predicted by measuring the ostansible target EGFR, but can be well-predicted by measuring the effect of the drug on the "function" of live cells. An EGFRx targeted therapy profile includes analysis of the following targeted drugs: Tarceva, Iressa, Nexavar, and Sutent. Literature Citation: PLoS Medicine, February 22, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBeth Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Bill, My prayers and my love go out to you, your wife and your family. I'm sorry, I'm just really very sorry for all of you. Love, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindseysmom Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Bill, I am so sorry to read this news. This is such a horrible disease. I will keep your wife in my thoughts and prayers. Best Wishes, Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 As KatieB said have you looked into clinical trials. There is a drug called hki-272 being tried on patients who develop a resistence to Tarceva or Iressa. You also might be aware that a gene was discovered that shows why some people respond and I think they have identified a gene that shows why resistence develops. Maybe there are other experimental drugs to research? http://www.lungcancerissues.com/ms/news ... /main.html http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=& ... ung+cancer http://www.massgeneral.org/news/release ... haber.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 As KatieB said have you looked into clinical trials. There is a drug called hki-272 being tried on patients who develop a resistence to Tarceva or Iressa. You also might be aware that a gene was discovered that shows why some people respond and I think they have identified a gene that shows why resistence develops. Maybe there are other experimental drugs to research? http://www.lungcancerissues.com/ms/news ... /main.html http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=& ... ung+cancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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