clinical trial

prv
prv Member Posts: 107
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I was asked to be in a clinical trial with A/C and Taxol plus Avastin which has lots of side effects. Don't know what to do. MY onc says she would do it (has seen to many recurrances). Please help! How do I decide? By the way my scans were all clear! Thank God!

Comments

  • ohilly
    ohilly Member Posts: 441 Member
    #2
    clinical trial
    I guess the answer depends on how aggressive your cancer was and what the side effects are. My situation may be totally different than yours, but I looked online and found a clinical trial myself to take Zometa (a drug which is supposed to prevent recurrence). I actually search for clinical trials every week and would be in another one if I found one. I also ask my oncologist about trials at every visit.

    My father, who had chronic leukemia, had 11 years added to his life (he is now deceased) because of a clinical trial which is now standard treatment.

    I guess you can tell I am a fan of clinical trials!

    Good luck with your decision!

    Ohilly
  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
    #3
    What I Did
    PRV, my local onc. wanted me to be in the same trial. He said he would advise it for his own sister and that every other onc. in the clinic there agreed with him. However, I got a second opinion from an NCI doc as a matter of course: she felt strongly that I should not do the trial but have TAC instead. That is what I did.

    Please keep in mind that the cancer I had was very aggressive, triple negative, and I had a large tumor with lymph node involvement. What I did may not be best for you. The clinical trial is national. A dear friend I met on the board is in the trial now, in the Taxol/Avastin stage at this point.

    I can't tell you what to do, just sharing my experience. I do recommend getting a second opinion, or more, whatever it takes for you to feel good about your decision. Good luck, and let us know what you decide.
  • Kristin N
    Kristin N Member Posts: 1,968 Member
    #4
    Moopy23 said:

    What I Did
    PRV, my local onc. wanted me to be in the same trial. He said he would advise it for his own sister and that every other onc. in the clinic there agreed with him. However, I got a second opinion from an NCI doc as a matter of course: she felt strongly that I should not do the trial but have TAC instead. That is what I did.

    Please keep in mind that the cancer I had was very aggressive, triple negative, and I had a large tumor with lymph node involvement. What I did may not be best for you. The clinical trial is national. A dear friend I met on the board is in the trial now, in the Taxol/Avastin stage at this point.

    I can't tell you what to do, just sharing my experience. I do recommend getting a second opinion, or more, whatever it takes for you to feel good about your decision. Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

    This may be a dumb question,
    This may be a dumb question, but, can some of the clinical trials out there do harm to you?

    I guess it just seems hard to believe that all of them would be a good thing to do, or, good

    for you. But, I really have no idea. Just asking

    And, congrats on your scan being clean! Wonderful news!
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
    #5
    Kristin N said:

    This may be a dumb question,
    This may be a dumb question, but, can some of the clinical trials out there do harm to you?

    I guess it just seems hard to believe that all of them would be a good thing to do, or, good

    for you. But, I really have no idea. Just asking

    And, congrats on your scan being clean! Wonderful news!

    Possibly...
    Only if you react inadvertly to the treatment (but this could happen with normal treatment). Most trials out right now are phase III trials. They are designed to give you the standard treatment (which we know works) or a veriation that is designed to be better. Most of the "dangerous" part has been handled in the phase I trial. I could never be a participant in anything but a phase III or phase IV trial as I know when it gets to that point, it is pretty much "fine tuning" the treatment that will probably become standard in the near future. :) Pammy
  • TrishyG
    TrishyG Member Posts: 40
    #6
    Akiss4me said:

    Possibly...
    Only if you react inadvertly to the treatment (but this could happen with normal treatment). Most trials out right now are phase III trials. They are designed to give you the standard treatment (which we know works) or a veriation that is designed to be better. Most of the "dangerous" part has been handled in the phase I trial. I could never be a participant in anything but a phase III or phase IV trial as I know when it gets to that point, it is pretty much "fine tuning" the treatment that will probably become standard in the near future. :) Pammy

    I participated in a clinical
    I participated in a clinical trial during my chemo. I really liked the idea of potentially helping someone else. I had Docetaxel and Gemcitabine and then AC for 6 months before surgery. Those drugs pretty much killed all the cancer before surgery. My nodes were completely clear and I only had to have 4 removed.

Discussion Boards