Hmm... So in the last week, I have heard of two new possibilities for treatment. It will be interesting to see if I qualify for either one of them....that is to say IF my injections are not working. One of them fools the immune system into working harder on destroying the cancer cells by splicing cancer cells into a virus (interestingly an equine encephalitis virus....so hopefully that doesn't make one into a horses posterior). I guess part of the problem is that the body's defense mechanisms don't recognize that cancer cells are foreign and should be destroyed.
The other method, or so I am told....I didn't read about this one, is using the individual's cancer cells and studying them applying various treatments to find the best one....This sounds extremely expensive as it is an individualized treatment.
Individualized treatments have long been recognized as a method which will provide the best outcomes for the cancer patient, but it is one which takes longer to identify and it is less profitable....it isn't a mass produced treatment (like the current drugs) but specifically designed for each person. We all know that treatments are money driven, so this one will probably not be available for most of us.
Interesting things...Hopefully this or one of the other many treatments developed in the last 5 years will work for me. In the mean time, I get to have another Faslodex treatment on Monday.
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Lisa, how long will you be here in Montana? I'll miss seeing you again. Did you get in on the snow that came down this last week? It was snowy and foggy here in Great Falls. Not the earliest we've had snow, but I'm just not prepared for winter at all year.
ReplyDeleteI pray that any treatments helps cure the cancer from your body. We've been and will be studying about cancer and the immune system in my Anat&Phys class. The new methods you mentioned sound promising. I pray they work for you!!!!
Take care. Wished I could have seen you while you were here.
HUGS,
Roni/MT
Hi Roni, been and gone. Missed the snow, got the rain and fog. Who'da thought?
ReplyDeleteI was only in MT for 5 days...sort of a blow-through visit.
I'm not sure what he's going to do with me. The only word I have is "well, if your markers don't fall by October, then I'm going to start you on systemic treatment (read chemo).