Change in Plans...

Time to bring you up to date on Melinda's cancer treatments... We saw the oncologist today, and went over the PET scan she had done earlier in the week. This is the gold standard in monitoring her small-cell lung cancer and tracking the progress of her chemo treatments. The news is that since her last PET scan, the spots she had have gotten slightly larger, and there are now more of them. Her previous scan told us her last chemo combo had stopped working, and now this one indicates that the treatments she has gotten the last couple months haven't been effective either. So another change in plans is called for...

Our oncologist recommends joining a study on TH-302, a hypoxia-activated prodrug. This drug is inert when administered, and converted to an active form through a normal metabolic process, in this case, where oxygen levels are low. The theory is that cancer tumors rapidly outgrow their blood and oxygen supply, and these areas would locally activate the drug into cytotoxins which would kill the cancer cells.  Sounds great on paper!  There are currently 6 patients in the study under our oncologist's care, at least 4 for more than 6 months, one for nearly a year, so it is effective in most of these cases.  PET scans are done every 2 cycles (months), so if the process doesn't work or loses effectiveness, they are pulled from the study.

Even though the drug is considered "inert" when administered, there is a page-long list of potential side effects besides those normally seen in chemo warnings.  The worst we see listed is a skin toxicity, both from the inside and if it leaks on the outside of your skin.  There are also clotting and kidney issues, but Melinda is already on blood thinners and they are quite careful in their blood monitoring. 

We need 3 weeks from her previous chemo to start, so have 2 weeks to wait - about what it will take to get the insurance company up to speed on all this.  Generally the study pays for expenses not covered by insurance.  And if this course of action is ineffective, our oncologist already has a fallback set of drugs to try next.  We'll let you know of progress or changes...