Targeted Therapy at MD Anderson

Joan M
Joan M Member Posts: 409 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

I traveled to MD Anderson the begining of April and just got home in time to spend Easter Day with my family. This is the 4th time I have tried typing this post, it gets messed up and then disappears when I'm trying to edit.  So this is the short version.  

I met with Doctor Tsimberideau in the Targeted Therapy Center, she specializes in individualized treatment plans.  She ordered a biopsy that checks for 600 genetic markers/mutations.  It takes a month to get results and I will find out what medicine she feels will work best for me.  MD Anderson has access to all the newest medications on the market, and the doctors are able to prescribe existing medications for new uses and not worry if insurance covers it (unilke the doctors at the regular clinics) so this is exciting!   She is also concerned about the health of her patients, not just looking for guinea pigs for research.  If I lived in the Houston area, I would on an immunotherapy regimine now but I'm not able to go every week for chemo from my home in North Dakota.    

She screened me for a few trials.  I was not eligible for a T-cell trial that was so exciting.  If anyone is able to travel and see if they are eligible, you should consider it.

On the way home, I suddenly realize how difficult it will be for me to travel for a trial in Houston. The time away from home is another huge consideration.  The factors are many and it will be hard to decide on whether to follow through.  However I am having problems caused by the Folfiri which is why I am willing to explore this and make sacrifices to get a better treatment.  

I am praying for a medicine that will lead to a cure or remission and doesn't kill me in the process.  It is scary to try new drugs if the side effects are not known.  Of course, this is the concern for everyone so nothing new there lol.  

Hope this can help someone.  If you have questions, you can send me a message.  

Joan

 

Comments

  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    #2
    see Luvinlife2 posts

    One of our previous forum members was able to improve and extend the Folfiri treatments with IV vitamin C and K3, and supplements, for several more years with much better quality of life, instead of quitting.  She had a medical clinic in BC, Canada that did both chemo and IV vitamin C !  We use high dosage oral vitamin K2 as menatetrenone (MK4) at osteoporosis treatment levels (per Japan), instead of vitamin K3 which was less useful for us. 

  • Butt
    Butt Member Posts: 352 Member
    #3

    I think the original post is about clinical trails and not targeted therapies. When i was at MD Anderson I was told that as long as a standard approved chemo is working we won t try a clinical trail meaning that the standard of care considered a better deal than some experimental drug. If MD Anderson had something for me I would move there. Butt. PS. I am not aware that MD Anderson has some new medications that no one else has. I mean they do experiments as many other places in the world.

  • miller1123
    miller1123 Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2019 #4
    Medicine

    I am living in Alabama. I am suffering from throat cancer for the last 1.5 year. This is in a critical situation and my doctor doing the treatment on it and I am also cancer care medicine eats daily. But this medicine is so expensive in the USA and I can't afford this prescription so I had to try to buy my cancer care medicine from an online pharmacy. I had to talk with my friends for buying my cancer care medicine online.  [Content removed by CSN Support Team.]

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