Hello ladies,
Well the highs and lows continue from no treatment options to some offers.
I have been offered a place on the Carrick trial being run at Christies, however it is a phase1 trial and from everything I’ve been told these are not trials that offer any benefits to the person taking part and are usually only offered to people who have exhausted all other treatments and are ‘nearing the end of life’.
Even the Dr I spoke to when I went to Christies to discuss trials etc. stated that phase1 were not very helpful in treating cancer and were usually to determine dosage.
Literally the same day I have a call from my oncology team saying I could try Vinorelbine but everything I’ve read and heard state this is a drug that isn’t known for its effectiveness either.
Talk about decisions, decisions…bloody hell!
Why would anyone want to take part in a phase1 trial if all the information given is negative is my question?
Hi Amberkitten, I think that I’ve possibly told you about my trial on another forum but I’m surprised and disappointed that Christies has given you such negative feedback on trial results. I don’t know anything about the Carrick trial but my experience has been completely different.
Ive never been told that they are only for “no hopers”! In fact one of the major difficulties is that the exclusion list is long, the trials have to have very specific patient profiles so the more treatments you have had the higher the risk of exclusion.
I did think long and hard about participating in the trial but I read a lot about the drugs. Palbociclib was already FDA approved in the US so it was a golden opportunity to access it and Taselisib, although a new drug, was a targeted therapy for a mutation that the unit had found in my DNA profiling. Everything came together and my care was exceptional, it’s been gold standard for the last 3 years.
Yes, I’ve had side effects but the 2 oral drugs have kept me stable for all that time. I am incredibly grateful so I think that it’s a shame Christies have given such a negative message.