Hi lkb,
Thanks for your encouraging email!
Unfortunately because I just had lung cancer last year, I am not a candidate for any clinical trials. This bums me out, but I can understand why they want fairly uniform ratties. Maybe in a few years if lung cancer doesn't come back I'll be eligible.
I just have three small mel mets in my elbow area. So the way I figured it, I had three viable options, but no perfect option. Option 1) Surgery would remove the mel mets, but not address any lingering unseen mets waiting to pop up. Option 2) T-VEC is the only FDA approved (and so available to me) interlesional treatment. This is a good option if mel is only in my arm. And finally Option 3 some kind of systemic treatment. I have already had A LOT of Immunotherapy, and I had fairly severe side effects That was the thinking anyway. Yes, I could have done nothing and watched and waited, but it didn't buy me anything, and I could have taken a BRAF drug, but I want to save those for if mel ever got out of hand, err elbow 😉
So given that I only had mets in my elbow and T-VEC was the only FDA approved interlesional treatment, and it may clean up the whole lymph basin, T-VEC was the choice. This was the thinking anyway.
I seem to remember though I don't know if it was from the Rock Star or reading or just made up in my head, that T-VEC has a 40% efficacy rate. But I could be making this up.
Trust you will do well in your clinical trial.
Peace,
Julie
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