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here is a link to a new promising treatment. my dad saw this on tv and asked that i look into it. has anyone heard of it?
http://cbs2.com/health/lung.cancer.alk.2.1032932.html?detectflash=false
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alk inhibitor? new treatment?
- By candigrl63
- Posted June 27, 2009 at 9:30 pm · 15 replies
- In Treatment options
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Targeted therapy Cancer Avastin Breast cancer Chemotherapy Tarceva Lung cancer Sutent
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- By hhhdai
- Posted June 27, 2009 at 9:59 pm
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let me link two posts together -
http://www.inspire.com/groups/lung-cancer-alliance-survivors/discussion/eml 4-alk-mutation/
very interesting development, thanks
- By cuddles53
- Posted June 27, 2009 at 11:08 pm
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I have not heard of it till now, anything we can find on this we must do, I also wrote to the man that had some treatments done from the other post on here as a reply. am waiting to hear how he is doing now, since it is almost one year ago, he had treatments done and his cancer was eaten alive so to speak. If there are drugs out there that will kill our tumors again, why are we not being told this by our own oncologists, i do not understand why we have to do all of this work on our own, what is wrong with this picture, why are we not led in the direction to cure us?? I am still looking still monitoring and seeking out other things like these vaccines, i still am waiting on more info from the Lucanix trials. I am hopeful on that oen provisded we all can stay alive long enough for it to finish the clinical trial, and also what about this other stimuvax vaccine, i am getting nowhjere fast wioth any of them,. I write to people, never hear back so where are these people when we need them, is all of this just in the news but nobody can get a real person? This is all I am finding the case to be, like when you call anyplace today you get the answer machine no person alive anyway, then I leave my message, and never hear from them again ever... How are we going to survive this if our own oncologists refuse to open up and tell us what is really out ther
come on you guys, there has got to be some super genius people reading these posts out there that have some answers, do the right thing and tell the world what you know! I swear to you, I would tell if I knew. I would not sit back and wait while I read about this persons father or this ladies husband, or this womans child take their last breath!! Come on, time to tell the world what you know, we all know there is much more than what the world wants us to think, so do it for us, do it for you, you may find yourself or a loved one of your own in our shoes one day, sop speak up, take the chance in life and do what you can do to help. this is why you are out there to help... I sound like a crazy woman don't I. but you know what, I am perfectly sane, I have too many unanswered questions and I know someone out there has some answers for us. god bless us all.
Sandy
- By linnea
- Posted June 28, 2009 at 7:59 am
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As hhhdai indicates in his post--that is the same clinical trial that several of us on this site have been enrolled in--I am in my 10th month now. It has been a wonder for me. Linnea
- By cuddles53
- Posted June 29, 2009 at 11:56 pm
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Hi Linnea,
Can you explain your own treatment and what it entailed like biopsy of the tumor? When do you get the treatments and tell us something about your experience with it, please e-mail me if you would. Thanks Sandy
- By linnea
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 6:18 am
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Sandy--I have been enrolled in a phase I clinical trial for this experimental drug for 10 months now. If you went to my profile and read my post on expanding hope for treatments, I give a lot of details there.
I believe the biopsy was done from a sample of my original tumor. I was fortunate to have a very up-to-date oncologist who requested this test for me, and then informed me of the possibility of enrolling in the clinical trial.
Treatment is in the form of capsules which I take at home. I must go to the hospital every two weeks for a physical and testing and have ct scans every two months. Side effects have been negligible and I feel great.
A minority of people have this mutation, and most are never smokers--however, I do know one woman who is a former smoker who tested positive for the mutation. It is my hope that this is the beginning of many more targeted therapies for lung cancer, and that this hard to treat disease will finally have more positive outcomes. Feel free to contact me with any more questions, and take care. Linnea
- By arlene
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 9:07 am
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thank you so much for this link. my husband has the ALK mutation and has been asked to participate in this trial. he will do so, but so far, is reluctant to give up the avastin and tarceva which has held his tumors for about 18 months. appreciate your keeping this info. available. arlene
- By arlene
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 9:20 am
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hello linnea- i read your wonderful post about the ALK drug. it was so heartening to read your great results. it is the next in line for my husband. i am relieved to hear that the side effects are minimal and that you feel so well. minimal side effects would be fantastic for a change!!! do you receive your treatment in boston? i hope your progress continues and you celebrate many more birthdays. arlene
- By linnea
- Posted June 30, 2009 at 9:31 am
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Yes I do Arlene. Is that where your husband would go as well? I can only say positive things about my experience there, and thanks for the good wishes. Linnea
- By shotofhope
- Posted July 21, 2009 at 3:01 am
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Candigirl63,
There is a trial currently ongoing by the University of Colorado (as mentioned in your article) that is a PI3K inhibitor. The PI3K inhibitor is creating a buzz in the oncology world as the next generation cancer treatment. Because of patent rights, there are only a small handful of companies that are testing this specific type of small molecule that is supposed to block the tumor pathway. This particular trial was recently amended to include more patients, which is a hint to me that there is something there. It is for advanced stages of the disease. It would google the drug "PX-866" or "PI3K inhibitor". The preliminarys appear to be nothing short of remarkable. Best of luck to you.
Here is a link to the trial at the University of Colorado
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00726583
- By gpawelski
- Posted July 21, 2009 at 9:56 am
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Targeted therapy halts the growth of certain cancer by zeroing in on a signaling molecule critical to the survival of those cancer cells. A drug may work specifically in patients whose cancers contain mutations in a gene that encodes that pathway.
Although these targeted therapies are initially effective in certain subsets of patients, the drugs eventually stop working, and the tumors begin to grow again. This is called acquired or secondary resistance. This is different from primary resistance, which means that the drugs never work at all. The change of a single base in DNA that encodes the mutant protein has been shown to cause drug resistance.
Initially, tumors have the kinds of mutations that were previously associated with responsiveness to these drugs. But, sometime tumors grow despite continued therapy because an additional mutation in the gene, strongly implies that the second mutation was the cause of drug resistance. Biochemical studies have shown that this second mutation, which was the same as before, could confer resistance to the mutants normally sensitive to these drugs.
All the mutation or amplification studies can tell us is whether or not the cells are potentially susceptible to this mechanism of attack. They don't tell you if one drug (alk inhibitor) is better or worse than some other drug which may target this. There are differences. The drug has to get inside the cells in order to target anything.
Targeted drugs are poorly-predicted by measuring the ostansible targets, but can be well-predicted by measuring the effect of the drug on the "function" of live cells.
- By shotofhope
- Posted July 22, 2009 at 12:10 pm
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True, however combination therapies that include one that attacks the tumor directly and the other inhibiting the angiogenic pathway may have the potential to prolong survival in patients that have no other therapies available. The concept of using small molecules are commonly used today such as VEGF, Avastin and radiation. Unfortunately, there is no cure to cancer, yet, because of the cancers ability to resist and mutate as a result of the treatment. Progress seems to be measured with prolonged survival, delayed disease progression and Quality of Life.
On the other hand, that’s not to say there isn’t hope. Some of the experimental immunotherapy vaccines have showed sustained remission from chemo-radiative therapy. Some however pose a problem with the body attacking its own normal cells. No question there is no magic bullet and treatments do not work the same for everyone. I am hopefully optimistic and looking forward the second and third generation treatments.
- By linnea
- Posted July 23, 2009 at 9:49 am
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Just want to weigh in that although a cure for cancer would be fantastic, I am currently thrilled with the prospect of prolonged survival, delayed disease progression and increased quality of life.
Linnea
- By gpawelski
- Posted September 1, 2009 at 11:29 pm
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shotofhope
There are drugs that include attacking the tumor directly and inhibiting the angiogenic pathway.
Sutent is a "multi-targeted" kinase inhibitor. That means it inhibits several proteins involved in triggering replication in cancer cells. Because these multiple proteins are involved in both "tumor growth" (proliferation) and "angiogenesis" (blood vessels feeding a tumor), Sutent has both "anti-tumor" as well as "anti-angiogenic" properties (not just one or the other). In addition, because Sutent inhibits "multiple" kinases, it possesses activity against "multiple" types of tumors (including lung cancer).
There is a microvascular viability assay developed to identify potential responders to these anti-angiogenic drugs. It was discovered that endothelial cells are present in tumor microclusters and the drug effect upon these cells can be assessed.
The assay has a morphological endpoint which allows for visualization of both tumor and microvascular cells and direct assessment of both anti-tumor and anti-microvascular drug effect. It can simultaneously test for direct anti-tumor activity and for anti-vascular activity within the three dimensional tumor cell clusters.
Anti-angiogenesis treatment is somewhat like chemotherapy. Both are forms of systemic treatment. This means that both treatments use drugs that travel throughout the body to have their effects. But anti-angiogenesis drugs do not work the same way chemotherapy does. Because of this, they differ in terms of how well they work.
Photomicrographs in the assay have been able to show if clones of tumor cells accumulate or don't accumulate the drugs. If the cells don't accumulate, they will not get killed by the drugs. The short term future of cancer therapeutics is combinations of "targeted" agents, not only for lung cancer treatment, but for all solid cancers.
A study was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium on September 5, 2008. The system utilized for the study was a functional profiling assay, which can study the direct anti-tumor and anti-vascular effects of drugs like Sutent, Tykerb, Nexavar, Tarceva, Iressa and Avastin in a variety of neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions for individualized cancer treatment.
The assay can accurately sort drugs into categories of above average probability of providing clinical benefit on one hand and below average probability of providing clinical benefit on the other hand, based both on tumor response and patient survival.
Literature Citation: Weisenthal, LM, Patel, N, and Rueff-Weisenthal, C. Cell culture detection of microvascular cell death in clinical specimens of human neoplasms and peripheral blood. J Intern Med 264:275-287, September 2008
- By kitkat4ever
- Posted September 2, 2009 at 11:40 am
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hi linnea:
I went to your profile to read about this clinical trial you are in and could not find anything. Please direct me.
I read in the NY Times today that 5% of people have the ALK mutation and Pfizer is doing the trial.
Looks very promising.
Kat
- By linnea
- Posted September 2, 2009 at 4:50 pm
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Kat--the way to get the most info would be to go to my blog:
lifeandbreath.wordpress.com
I go into a lot of detail about the trial in various posts. Please feel free to contact me with amy further questions though. Take care, Linnea
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