Feeling kind of cornered here...

Rhio2k
Rhio2k Member Posts: 1
edited October 2018 in Lung Cancer #1

My father (75 years old) has been receiving chemo treatment for stage 4 (metastatic) lung cancer at the local Veteran's Administration, and they seem to be trying very hard to force him into an immunotherapy clinical trial at the adjoining Moffitt Cancer Center. It seems to be all risk, (they want to give him one of 2 drugs, and push him to the limit of his tolerance of said drug, regardless of effect, lack of effect, or harmful side effects, for which they want him to sign a non-indemnity/liability waiver. If something goes wrong, there will be no recourse.

The woman overseeing my father's chemo treatment at the Veteran's Administration is working very hard to pursuade my father to enter this trial, saying that he only has 6 more chemo treatment sessions available to him, and then they will have to at least discontinue the drug they feel has caused his tumors to decrease in size and halt progression, lest he suffer possible organ damage/failure, and place him on hospice. She claims after the drug is discontinued, the cancer will return at a greatly accelerated rate and his only hope is to discontinue chemotherapy right now, enter this trial, after which he can then go back on chemotherapy if the results were dissatisfactory (or, I'm thinking, if he's not left in such poor condition that he will be too ill to resume chemo).

It sounds like this woman is being offered some sort of incentive by Moffitt (who also work with the cancer wing of the VA) to obtain test subjects for this clinical trial, and she's trying very hard to make good on her end with these scare tactics. I'm not sure what do about this. I keep finding all kinds of Moffitt statements online about how they've been making leaps and bounds in immunotherapy research this year, but no recipients of previous clinical trials I can talk to.

Comments

  • jorola
    jorola Member Posts: 243 Member
    #2
    Have you gone for a second opinion?

    As no one here is a medical dr and can give you the real answers you seek, getting a second opinion would be my suggestion. Although my husband did not have immunotherapy, I do know others who have taken it and it has done great things for them. I do not know if their situations and your dad's are similar though. Some cancers can return very agressively after treatment is stopped. Again not knowing the exact type of cancer your dad has and not being a dr I really cannot comment specifically. What does your dad want to do?

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