We had my appointment today with the lead clinical trial GI oncologist at Mass General. Overall it was really encouraging. She gave her opinion on the treatment regimen i'm on and said that it is what she would recommend I be on. Then she had a trial that has started recently that might have an opening soon. It would not be a type of chemo, it would be taking specific drugs to stop cancer cells from growing. It is also a trial that is specifically for people who have cancers with KRAS mutations, which I have. She didn't agree with my current oncologist in regard to waiting until this chemo stops working, she didn't see anything wrong with joining this trial while my chemo is still working if something opens up in a couple of months.
She put my name on the list and I don't want to get too excited but in a few months I could possibly be called to see if I qualify to participate. There is a screening process that I'd have to pass with a series of tests. Basically what I got out of this is, I don't necessarily have to be on chemo for the rest of my life, there are other options like this and that is very exciting to me. Even if it didn't work, there are others out there and it would also mean a break from chemo regardless if it works, and that is very exciting to me!!
This is great news Leah! Medical advances are amazing and frequent these days and if you are able to get in on something ground breaking, it would be fantastic for you and your family! Here's hoping that you get that call in the coming months!
ReplyDeleteI like that you are taking charge of your treatment options, and got on the list now!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you are excited about this, Leah! Hopefully they'll be able to add you to the study soon and you can learn if it's a good fit. Keep pushing forward!
ReplyDelete