niececola Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Hello Everybody, My mom had her follow-up visit with her onc yesterday. She just finished 10 rounds of radiation and has definitely improved, she is getting around a lot easier and the pain has certainly decreased in her lower back. Her onc discussed with us her upcoming chemo and suggested to us a Phase 3 clinical trial. I am very new to the world of clinical trials. Why would someone choose to go into a clinical trial rather than go with standardized treatment? What is the difference between Phase 1, 2 or 3 clinical trials? Is anyone on the Genasense/Taxotere trial right now? The doctor did explain this trial is sponsored by the drug company and not the Cancer Institute. Does that make a difference? Thanks for all your help! Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Hi Denise, Glad your mother is improving. I’ve never been in a clinical trail, but here are some websites with info on it. Hope this helps. Peace, take and God Bless. Rich http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat34.html (Clinical Trials: Lung Cancer) http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/backgrnd.html (Background Information on Clinical (Trails) Research) ************************************************************* The Power Of People Helping People / The Power Of Knowledge / The Power Of God / The Power Of Believing / The Power Of Positive Thinking / The Power Of Never Taking No For An Answer / That’s The Key ************************************************************* Questions To Ask The Doctor About Lung Cancer http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 08,00.html With Every Breath A Lung Cancer Guidebook / From ALCASE / A Wealth Of Information / Free http://www.alcase.org/education/publica ... reath.html The Cancer Survival Toolbox / Free / From NCCS http://www.cancersurvivaltoolbox.org Clinical Trails Listing Service / Center Watch http://www.centerwatch.com Lung Cancer In The News / GOOGLE http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&editi ... ung+cancer The Wellness Community / National Cancer Support, Education And Support / Free http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/pro ... /guide.asp Drug Information Online http://www.drugs.com ALCASE / Alliance For Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, Education http://www.alcase.org Unites States / National Library Of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov Health Information / Medical Encyclopedia http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html Google / Great Search Engine http://www.google.com R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc. / Please read: A Letter to all newly diagnosed cancer patients http://blochcancer.org American Cancer Society / No Matter Who You Are, We Can Help http://www.cancer.org Cancer Information Service / NCI http://www.cancer.gov Cancer Research Center / A Cure For Cancer... http://www.cancerresearchcenter.org American Institute for Cancer Research; Nutrition Hotline / AICR http://www.aicr.org Cancer Hope Network / Cancer? http://www.cancerhopenetwork.org Association of Cancer Online Resources / Free Online Lifeline For Everyone Affected By Cancer & Related Disorders http://www.acor.org Lung Cancer Information Library / Electronic Library Of Comprehensive Educational Materials On Cancer For Healthcare Professionals And Patients http://www.meds.com/lung/lunginfo.html American Lung Association / ALA http://www.lungusa.org American Medical Association / Physicians Dedicated To The Health Of America http://www.ama-assn.org Doctor’s Guide / Lung Cancer http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... g%20Cancer Healthfinder / Your Guide To Reliable Health Information http://www.healthfinder.gov/Scripts/Sea ... ?topic=506 Medicine Net / We Bring Doctor’s Knowledge To You http://www.medicinenet.com/Lung_Cancer/article.htm Lung Cancer Online / Financial, Legal & Insurance Issues http://www.lungcanceronline.org/support/financial.html Cancer Index / Lung Cancer Resources Directory http://www.cancerindex.org/clinks2l.htm National Foundation For Cancer Research / NFCR Cancer Information Center http://www.nfcr.org/site/PageServer?pag ... ncers_lung Patient Advocate Foundation / Ensuring Equal Access To Health Care For All Americans http://www.patientadvocate.org Lung Cancer Online / Hematologic (Blood) Effects http://www.lungcanceronline.org/effects ... fects.html Lung Cancer Links / Cancerlinks Index http://www.cancerlinks.org/lung.html Cancer Free Connections / Life-Saving & Life-Giving Resources http://www.cancer-free.com Health Insite / Information On Lung Cancers http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/C ... ung_cancer Lung Cancer / Lung Cancer Information Page http://www.lungcancerclaims.com Cancer Life Center/ Cancer Dictionary http://www.cancerlifecenter.com/engine. ... =dictionar Cancer News / Information http://cancernews.healthology.com/focus ... cancernews Cancer yellow Pages / Your Source Of Guidance When Searching For A Cancer Doctor http://www.canceryellowpages.com/Resour ... G%20CANCER ICARE / The International Cancer Alliance http://icare.org Virtual Hospital / A Digital Library Of Health Information http://www.vh.org/index.html ************************************************************ If I Could Catch a Rainbow: If I could catch a rainbow, I would do it just for you, And share with you its beauty, On the days you’re feeling blue. If I could build a mountain, You call your very own, A place to find serenity, A place to be alone. If I could take your troubles, I would toss them in the sea, But all these things I’m finding, Are impossible for me. I cannot build a mountain, Or catch a rainbow fair, But let me be what I know best A friend that’s always there. Author Unknown ************************************************************* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poggie Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Denise, I'm new to the world of cancer and clinical trials as well. My mother in law is scheduled to start her treatment next Monday as long as everything goes ok when she sees the radiation oncologist tomorrow. She decided to participate in a clinical trial also. She was concerned about trying out a new med instead of a proven therapy. It was a hard decision but once the doctors explained that the particular trial that they were talking about is basically a routine course of treatment with one added drug (OSI-774) she jumped at the chance. It really is scary~not knowing if or how the medication will help. This is a NCI trial in conjunction with the U of Chicago. I did a search of the clinical trials and came up with only one that lists both meds that you mentioned. Here's a cut/paste if you'd like. If this is the same one, it says that it's being sponsored also by the NCI. http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/N ... 41?order=1 My daughter also has a rare genetic disease. Right now, there is no course of treatment for it except a clinical trial with a bone marrow transplant. We decided not to participate in that because the risk of the chemo prior to the BMT is too great. Because this disease causes a weak immune system, her geneticist only gives her a 50% chance of surviving the chemo. If she does make it through that, they don't know if the BMT will take. If it does, they don't know how or if it will improve her quality of life or life expectancy. A few children made great progress, in one only his hearing improved, and in a few others, no improvement was seen. There are not many people world wide diagnosed with this disease so the study is quite small. Anyway, this is a tough decision. One that you need to weigh the potential benefits to the risks. Good luck and best wishes to your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 "Generally", people on clinical trials get better care than those not on trials Phase I usually is to test safety Phase II usually tests the maximum tolerated dose Phase III is the last trial before for being approved Sometimes Phase III is double-blind with placebo. So your mom may or may not get the drug being tested. Some people do not want to be involved in this kind of trial, but it is always given with standard care in addition to the trial drug http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/info/resources From what I have read about BCL-2 it may be a very good target for a drug. If you do the trial I hope it works http://www.genta.com/genta/Products/genasense.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherriot Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Genasense (Oblimeren) is derived from salmon and blocks the production of a protein named Bcl-2 which is believed to contribute to a tumor's resistance to chemotherapy. It is supposed to make the chemotherapy agent work better. Here is a link to the trial. http://www.emergingmed.com/pub_search_t ... e_sys_id=0 Sherri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea S. Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 I don't know much about the difference between the phases of clinical trials, but I thought I'd throw my .02 worth in. My mom did 7 cycles on a clinical trial - it was a new drug, given in addition to 2 standard drugs. We had a great experience with the trial - my mom received wonderful care and frequent scans. Better than that - she had a great response! The plus of clinical trials is to have the opportunity to try brand new drugs, which may be better than the standard regimens out there. And keep in mind that many of the top drugs out there right now are pretty new on the scene. Good luck in whatever you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carleen Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Denise, I don't have anything to add about clinical trials, but I just wanted to say that I am happy your mom is doing better. I will be praying for her, and for your family. I hope this clinical trial brings success. Carleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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