Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Sorry I have been out of touch for the past several weeks but there really hasn't been much to write about (which I guess is a good thing). 

Chemo last week was pretty typical.   I did get a new nurse who learned a valuable lesson from our time together.  Although I have tried not to interfere with how they insert the IV needle, let's face it after three years I'm pretty much aware of what's going to work and what's not.  So when he laid down the IV kit and I noticed he had a blue (22 gauge) instead of a yellow (24 gauge).  Experience tells me that due to the fact that my veins are small that a yellow works much better then a blue because they are able to advance it into my vein without it breaking through.  So I mentioned to him that I usually have a 24g but it was his call what to use (see I'm getting better at letting them do their jobs).  He decided to use the 22g and proceeded to insert it and advance it right through my vein.  Second try was with a 24g with no problem except now I have a huge black and blue mark where I bled out under the skin.   To his credit when all was said and done he did tell me he should have listened to me since I knew better having gone through this so many times.   Lesson Learned in this scenario is as a patient speak up and be a part of the team instead of a bystander.  As a health care professional listen to your patients as they have valuable information to share.

The only other thing on the horizon is a CT Scan scheduled for April 16.  It will be 12 weeks since my last and I'm feeling a little nervous.  I know how quickly things could change and how imperative it is to catch it quickly.  Fingers crossed for good results.  As I always say when I'm asked how I'm doing "you're only as good as your last CT Scan".  Not being negative but stating a fact.

Otherwise I'm just tired and cold as usual.  I can't seem to shake this head cold and stomach virus that's been going around.

Waiting until I can put on my dancin' flip flops.

Keep on Dancin"

Friday, March 8, 2013

Wednesday was my 19th chemo treatment with the trial drug T DM-1.  Hard to believe it's been a year since I started the trial.  As you may have seen from my last post this drug was finally approved for limited use (whatever that means) by the FDA after many years of testing and fighting.  It's been good to me so far ( but as you all know I'm cautiously optimistic ) and I hope others will benefit from this drug.  It's a good feeling to think that I am a "pioneer" (or guinea pig as I like to say) who's participation in this trial will help those in the future to fight this battle. 

I saw the doctor before my treatment and she advised me that even thought this therapy has been approved, the drug company has chosen me to stay on trial and continue to gather information on my tolerance to it and any side effects as well as results.  This is a good thing since the trial covers the cost of the chemo (rumor is that the cost is close to $10,000 per treatment) and testing (CT Scans, ECHO, etc).  Although I have good insurance I would hate to think I would have to fight with BCBS for them to cover the cost of the treatments.  So I continue my quest to make history....

All and all everything is good.  Just very tired and constantly cold.

Thanks for all your support!

Keep on Dancin'

Friday, February 22, 2013

Breaking News.........

F.D.A. Approves Breast Cancer Drug  
By ANDREW POLLACK


The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new type of drug that combines the widely used breast cancer medicine Herceptin with a powerful toxin to more effectively kill cancer cells while potentially reducing side effects.

The drug, which will be called Kadcyla but was known as T-DM1 during its development, extended the median survival of women with advanced breast cancer by nearly half a year in a clinical trial.

Genentech, which developed the drug, said it would cost about $9,800 a month, or $94,000 for a typical course of treatment. That is about twice the price of Herceptin itself, which is also made by Genentech, but it is similar to the price of some other new cancer drugs. It is approved for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, about 20 percent of cases.
Kadcyla is one of the first successful examples of a new class of drug that link toxins to proteins known as monoclonal antibodies. The antibodies latch onto tumors and deliver the toxic payload. Because the toxin is not activated until it reaches the tumor, some side effects are avoided.

Such medicines, known as antibody-drug conjugates, are a hot area for cancer drug developers, with around two dozen such drugs in clinical trials. Another antibody-drug conjugate, Adcetris, developed by Seattle Genetics, was approved in 2011 as a treatment for two rare types of lymphoma.

The linker and toxin used in Kadcyla was developed by ImmunoGen, based in Waltham, Mass., which will receive royalties on sales of the drug. This is the first approved product for ImmunoGen, which has been working on antibody-drug conjugates for three decades.

The main clinical trial leading to approval of Kadcyla involved 991 patients with metastatic breast cancer that was worsening despite treatment with Herceptin and a taxane chemotherapy drug, such as paclitaxel. Half the women were given infusions of Kadcyla and the other half took two pills now commonly used for such patients: Tykerb, also known as lapatinib, and Xeloda, also known as capecitabine.

The patients getting Kadcyla lived a median of 30.9 months, compared with 25.1 months for those getting the two pills. The median time before the disease worsened, a measure known as progression-free survival, was 9.6 months for those getting Kadcyla, compared with 6.4 months for those getting the other drugs.

While having greater efficacy, Kadcyla also had fewer side effects. About 43 percent of patients on Kadcyla had serious side effects compared with 59 percent for those getting the two pills.



Still, the label of Kadcyla has a warning saying the drug can cause liver toxicity, heart toxicity and death. It also can cause serious birth defects or fetal death, so women of childbearing age taking the drug are urged to use contraception.

Herceptin, also known as trastuzumab, binds to a protein on the surface of breast cancer cells called HER2. Since Kadcyla incorporates Herceptin, it too is approved only for the roughly 20 percent of breast cancer cases with an overabundance of HER2.

Kadcyla’s approval is for use after a patient has already failed to respond to Herceptin and a taxane. But Roche, the Swiss company that owns Genentech, is already testing it for use as an initial treatment for metastatic cancer. It is also testing it in combination with Perjeta, another of its drugs for HER2-positive breast cancer, which was approved last June.



Roche executives say they hope that Kadcyla, along with Perjeta, will make Herceptin somewhat obsolete by the time it could face competition from cheaper biosimilars, which are similar to generics. Roche says the United States patent on Herceptin expires in 2019.

Herceptin had global sales of 5.9 billion Swiss francs ($6.3 billion at current exchange rates) in 2012. It was the world’s best-selling drug used only for cancer in 2012.

Genentech tried to win approval for T-DM1 in 2010 as a treatment for breast cancer patients who had run out of options, based on a small trial without a control group. But the F.D.A. turned down the application, angering some patients and patient advocates.


Dancin' the Happy Dance - Keep on Dancin"

Friday, February 15, 2013

A Belated Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

Not much to report.    I had an ECHO on Wednesday to make sure the old ticker is tolerating the chemo treatments.  So far so good.  Next was chemo which besides being stuck twice and it leaving a very colorful black and blue mark was uneventful.

Rumor is that this trial chemo (Hercepton DM-1) I have been on for one year now should be approved by the FDA the end of this month.  There are so many women out there who have been trying to get it that I hope this isn't another false alarm.  I try not to read too much about others experience because it could really start bringing you down when you hear some of it, but I did glance at a few comments from those who have been on it for the past few years and are doing remarkably well.  As I always say your only as good as your last CT scan and I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

I declare that March 1 is the start of spring.  I'm so tired of being cold.

Until there is more to report.......  Lace up those dancing shoes!

Keep on Dancin"

Friday, February 1, 2013

My Birthday

Today’s my birthday. In the past I wouldn’t have cared much except for the fact that I was growing older. Just another reminder that I couldn’t do the same things I did ten or twenty years ago which would be reinforced every time I looked in the mirror and saw the increase of lines on my face (although no gray hair yet). Evident in my slower pace, falling asleep in the recliner and the fact that I would rather spend the evening watching TV or reading a good book then going out.

But birthdays since my diagnosis have taken on a whole new meaning. In fact I have instituted an event called “birthday week” where I celebrate all week instead of one day. Birthdays now mean I have made one more year then I thought I would. It’s not about celebrating turning a year older, it’s about life. Time I have been given to be with my family and friends. When I was at the hospital last week the nurse who checked me in mentioned we shared the same birthday. My response was something positive (sorry I don’t remember my exact words because her come back to me knocked me for a loop) and she said “just another year closer to dying”. For once I was speechless. Here she was working in a department where all the patients she saw were hoping and praying to see many more birthdays and saw them as positive events in their lives while she looked at the negative of getting older. My guess is that every patient having chemo that day would have gladly traded places with her,

So, did I mention today’s my birthday??? I have been celebrating it all week and will continue to into the weekend. As I look at the cake glowing brightly with one more candle added to it I’ll be thankful that I’ve added yet another year.

Wearing my new birthday Dancin’ shoes and singing Happy Birthday to me!

Friday, January 25, 2013

It's been a long week to say the least.  CT scan Tuesday morning, blood test Monday and Tuesday (still having bilirubin issues) and chemo on Wednesday.  I feel like a porcupine with all the needle sticks I've endured this week.

Good new on the CT scan.   One doctor opinion was a slight reduction in tumors in liver and lung area.  My doctor who is  a little more guarded in interpretation said she sees it as being stable.  Either way she was happy with the results.

No real side effects except being tired.  This weekend should tell a story if the past few months have been a cold or if the fever and head cold symptoms are a result of the chemo.  Stay tuned.....

Looks like winter has arrived if only for a few days since it's suppose to be in the 50's on Tuesday.

Until next time I have my snow shoes on and ready to dance1

Keep on Dancin"

Friday, January 11, 2013

Happy New Year!   Sorry I've been out of touch for a while but the holidays were busy.  I was all set on writing about new years resolutions until it took me one day to break mine.  I was going to strive to have more patience which was promptly broken on January 2 when I waited 4 hours from my appointment time until I was called for my chemo treatment.  They explained it was due to the holiday and being closed on January 1 for which I replied that New Years Day was not a new holiday that popped up on the calendar and happens every year so how could they not be prepared.  Of course you just get blank stares when you start thinking logically so I just sat and kept quiet.

I've been under the weather fighting a head cold this past week which hopefully will be gone by the end of the weekend.   Just planning on resting this weekend with no big plans.

Next CT scan is January 22 to see how the chemo is working.  No matter how many times I've gone through in the past + 2 1/2 years I still get nervous.  Speaking of CT scans I counted that I had 20 scans last year.  With all the radiation I could be lighting up the streets of Chicago. 

Until I feel better and have more to share I'll be putting on my dancing slippers and resting.

Keep on Dancin'