I'd received aggressive chemo (1990-1991), XRT (1992) and was taking interferon (1993) when my lymphoma recurred again. I entered a Phase I trial of a novel therapy: monoclonal antibodies. Why did I do it?
At the time:
- Standard therapies offered me little hope of a durable remission, let alone a cure.
- High-dose chemo with bone marrow transplant (BMT) offered a good chance of a complete remission, but with siginificant risks of morbidity and mortality. Data were not yet available about the durability of transplant-induced remissions in patients with my type of lymphoma.
- Unlike Phase I trials that test toxicity of chemicals, IDEC C2B8 was designed to bind to a specific surface antigen known to be present on my tumor cells. Given all that was known from pre-clinical studies and the science of immunology, the promising new drug would probably be far less toxic than BMT.
- I had relatively little disease, so I had time to try the new Rx. If my disease progressed during or after my participation in the trial, I could probably still pursue the standard therapies and bone marrow transplant options. And I'd probably be in better shape because I could gain back the weight I lost on interferon.
- If the trial drug did work, it would buy me a bigger chunk of good-quality time to raise my young children while, at the same time, researchers could make further progress that might open new options for me.
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