This morning Kurt and I went into the oncology office for blood work and then an appointment to see if I could have my 2nd treatment of Ipi. All of my blood levels went back up - which was great news! The nurse practioner said that my oncologist wanted to talk to me as she got results back from the melanoma mutation testing that we have been waiting for.
My doctor came in with a smile on her face and said that my mutation came back as a BRAF mutation. While she explained this in further detail to us, I understood her explaination but not how to explain it to someone else. There is currently a clinical trial underway with the doctor that my doctor used to work with. She would like me to get in on that trial (as it will end in 4-6 weeks and I would not be able to get in until next year then). So, within the next few weeks, we will be going down to Detroit to start this clinical trial. While I do not know much yet, I know that it is in pill form (called Vemurafenib) which is currently not FDA approved but they are hoping that it will be by the end of this year. My doctor did indicate that while Ipi has a 30-40% chance of reacting to the melanoma, this drug currently has a 50-60% chance!
Kurt asked how long we would need to be down in Detroit and she said that because it is in pill form, they will send us home with pills and I will probably have to go down monthly for check ups. (So, basically, we should only be down there for a day.)
I had to have an EKG today and will have a CAT scan tomorrow - things that are needed to be sent down to be a part of the trial.
Glad to hear this promising news! And, as Kurt said to me, "There ain't no party like a Detroit party!"
There is a lot of excitement about Vemurafenib at this year's ASCO meeting in June and they published their results in June's New England Journal. It's about the best thing they have and seems to show the most promise. Good luck.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1103782
ReplyDelete