As a stage IV survivor/researcher of Melanoma, I know first hand how it feels to be diagnosed with stage IV cancer. You, your family and your caretaker becomes overwhelmed by the information that must be absorbed and processed to make an educated decision on what therapy you want to try. Don’t get me wrong, your oncologist will play a major in your decision, but is it the right one? Is he trying to fill some of his clinical trials or is he looking out for your best interest? Armed with the right information, one can make the best possible choice. It shouldn’t be a hit or miss approach because with cancer, time is of the essence. Getting to the right therapy before you end up at the late stage IV of your disease is the name of the game.
In my therapy, that was my goal, find the right therapy before it overcomes your internal organs and kills you. So, in 2005, I asked my doctor John M Kirkwood if they would take my tumors and biopsy them for gene analysis. Back in 2005, this analytical activity was revolutionary and not done as a standard of care.
So in 2005, I contacted Arlet Alarcon from the Molecular Profiling Institute. I tried to convince Dr. John M. Kirkwood, but it was not to be. But now to fast-forward to 2012 and you will see molecular profiling your tumor becoming common practice.
So with this in mind, here are some suggestions to get you on the right path.
1.) Assemble a team of doctors that specialize in your cancer.
2.) Make sure they see you as a major part of the team and the decision making.
(Be your own advocate)
3.) Learn the medical language so you can research and stay abreast of the new therapies that are being discovered daily.
4.) Learn how your immune system works and how the therapies interact with the immune system.
5.) Be POSITIVE!!!
Here is the latest slide from "Evolving Treatment Options in Melanoma: Utilizing Genetic Features to Optimize Therapy" by Dr. Ribas
permission granted from Clinical Care Options – Oncology
http://www.clinicaloptions.com/oncology.aspx
SOC= Standard of Care
What I am trying tell is that by optimizing your personal therapy, you can extend your survival.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
~Charles Darwin~
Take Care,
Jimmy B
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