› Forums › General Melanoma Community › DTIC+ IL2+ INT ?
- This topic has 8 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 4 months ago by
nicoli.
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- December 17, 2010 at 1:00 am
I have a 2 local recurrances after 7 months of remission. My onc spoke with a doctor at the University of Denver Melanoma Clinic who strongly suggests a 12 week course of DTIC plus Cyspblastin plus vinblastine plus IL2 plus Interferon. In the hospital 7 days, 2 weeks at home, repeat 4 times. Maybe radiation after that. (I may have misspelled some of the chemo)
The plan is to prevent Stage 4 by killing cells before they become tumors.
I have read the posts regarding IL2 but wonder if anyone has done this combination.
Nicki, Stage3b
I have a 2 local recurrances after 7 months of remission. My onc spoke with a doctor at the University of Denver Melanoma Clinic who strongly suggests a 12 week course of DTIC plus Cyspblastin plus vinblastine plus IL2 plus Interferon. In the hospital 7 days, 2 weeks at home, repeat 4 times. Maybe radiation after that. (I may have misspelled some of the chemo)
The plan is to prevent Stage 4 by killing cells before they become tumors.
I have read the posts regarding IL2 but wonder if anyone has done this combination.
Nicki, Stage3b
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- December 17, 2010 at 5:40 am
Hi Nicki,
You must mean the U of Colorado, becuase the U of Denver had no hospital or melanoma clinc. I know this because I live in Denver, have two degrees from DU and did Masters work at CU Denver.
What you are describing is also called Biochemotherapy. Biochemo "recepies" vary from place to place, but the key ingedient seems to be IL2. The ideas is that the treatments effectiveness together is greater than as individual tretmants. You might ask for research data from you Doc there. Dr Gonzales puts together this biochemo. You might want to repost and ask about "Biochemo" and see what responses you get here. It seems to be a very rough treatment to tolerate with numerous side effects.
Stage III patients do not currently have a lot of good treatment options. Some Stage III patiets here have taken Lukine, while others have opted for "watch and wait". Here is a repost of one I made the other day for another Phase III patient considering Lukine ( btw I am stage IV and did consult with U of Colorado before going to MD Anderson in Houston for treatment).
Lukine is sometimes recommended as the only option for Stage III patients, but there other options you should also consider. There is a large Phase III clinical trial involving Ipilimumab for Stage III mel for which you might be eligible, at least you could look into it. It is for Stage III patients who have had "complete resection". It is randomized, as are the other Phase III trials, which presents serious issues to consider. But given the dearth of other good options, you may want to consider the trial.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00636168
IIf you had "unresectable" Stage III mel, then this Phase I trial would be an option to consider. It involves a promising combiniation of Ipilimumab and and "Anti PD1" drug MDX 1106:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00636168
You will see a range of opinions about lukine efficacy in the archives here or if you google around for more information. Stage III patients need more treatment options, to be sure, and maybe Ipi will become available for you and others once it is approved this year, because it has been shown to be one of the best treatments ever developed. Even if it is not approved for Stage III patients initially, it eventually will have to be made available and should become the "standard of care" for both Stage III and IV patients.
So there are 3 other treatment options to consider. Do not expect anyone at CU to recommend anything that they do not have available at their location. All patients have to become knowledgeable about the disease and treatment options, and take charge and make their own informed decsions. Thats what I did anyway.
Best wishes to you.
Jim
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- December 17, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Thanks Jim, I really appreciate your input.
Does it make anyone else angry or disappointed that we basically have to research our own options? Shouldn't the oncologists be doing this? Or is this normal for all diseases, not just cancer?
While I am not dumb, I dont' feel competant to be researching my own cancer treatment. And it seems wrong that different hospitals have their own "pet" therapies to offer. Is it because we just don't have many good options for meanoma at this time?
Sucks.
Nicki
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- December 17, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Nicki, I can't agree wth you more. I was absolutely clueless about how to research this when I should have been doing the most research and by the time I found this forum and some tools, it was really far too late. It is a terrible situation to be in.
With Will, his first oncologist (a major melanoma specialist with lots of accolades) NEVER told him or us about any treatments or trials he was not personally running. It was pretty daunting, to say the least.
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- December 17, 2010 at 6:42 pm
And to top it off I have only Medicaid. No money to travel across country to the hospital of my choice.
My new oncologist (much more aggessive and believes in the power of prayer) has checked for clinical trial in our state but none for me now.
Goood thing I am not alone in this. I believe the Lord is guiding me all the way, but it sure is not easy.
Any one wanting spiritual help with cancer MUST read these books: "A Reason for Hope" and " A Season for Hope". by Michael Barry, chaplain for Cancer Centers of America. I found them in my local library.
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- December 17, 2010 at 6:42 pm
And to top it off I have only Medicaid. No money to travel across country to the hospital of my choice.
My new oncologist (much more aggessive and believes in the power of prayer) has checked for clinical trial in our state but none for me now.
Goood thing I am not alone in this. I believe the Lord is guiding me all the way, but it sure is not easy.
Any one wanting spiritual help with cancer MUST read these books: "A Reason for Hope" and " A Season for Hope". by Michael Barry, chaplain for Cancer Centers of America. I found them in my local library.
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- December 17, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Nicki, I can't agree wth you more. I was absolutely clueless about how to research this when I should have been doing the most research and by the time I found this forum and some tools, it was really far too late. It is a terrible situation to be in.
With Will, his first oncologist (a major melanoma specialist with lots of accolades) NEVER told him or us about any treatments or trials he was not personally running. It was pretty daunting, to say the least.
-
- December 17, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Thanks Jim, I really appreciate your input.
Does it make anyone else angry or disappointed that we basically have to research our own options? Shouldn't the oncologists be doing this? Or is this normal for all diseases, not just cancer?
While I am not dumb, I dont' feel competant to be researching my own cancer treatment. And it seems wrong that different hospitals have their own "pet" therapies to offer. Is it because we just don't have many good options for meanoma at this time?
Sucks.
Nicki
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- December 17, 2010 at 5:40 am
Hi Nicki,
You must mean the U of Colorado, becuase the U of Denver had no hospital or melanoma clinc. I know this because I live in Denver, have two degrees from DU and did Masters work at CU Denver.
What you are describing is also called Biochemotherapy. Biochemo "recepies" vary from place to place, but the key ingedient seems to be IL2. The ideas is that the treatments effectiveness together is greater than as individual tretmants. You might ask for research data from you Doc there. Dr Gonzales puts together this biochemo. You might want to repost and ask about "Biochemo" and see what responses you get here. It seems to be a very rough treatment to tolerate with numerous side effects.
Stage III patients do not currently have a lot of good treatment options. Some Stage III patiets here have taken Lukine, while others have opted for "watch and wait". Here is a repost of one I made the other day for another Phase III patient considering Lukine ( btw I am stage IV and did consult with U of Colorado before going to MD Anderson in Houston for treatment).
Lukine is sometimes recommended as the only option for Stage III patients, but there other options you should also consider. There is a large Phase III clinical trial involving Ipilimumab for Stage III mel for which you might be eligible, at least you could look into it. It is for Stage III patients who have had "complete resection". It is randomized, as are the other Phase III trials, which presents serious issues to consider. But given the dearth of other good options, you may want to consider the trial.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00636168
IIf you had "unresectable" Stage III mel, then this Phase I trial would be an option to consider. It involves a promising combiniation of Ipilimumab and and "Anti PD1" drug MDX 1106:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00636168
You will see a range of opinions about lukine efficacy in the archives here or if you google around for more information. Stage III patients need more treatment options, to be sure, and maybe Ipi will become available for you and others once it is approved this year, because it has been shown to be one of the best treatments ever developed. Even if it is not approved for Stage III patients initially, it eventually will have to be made available and should become the "standard of care" for both Stage III and IV patients.
So there are 3 other treatment options to consider. Do not expect anyone at CU to recommend anything that they do not have available at their location. All patients have to become knowledgeable about the disease and treatment options, and take charge and make their own informed decsions. Thats what I did anyway.
Best wishes to you.
Jim
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