Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.
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RESEARCH TODAY Researchers can't take all of the credit for advances in cancer treatment. The patients who participate in clinical studies and who try new approaches to treatment are a key part of the process. "I was so sick," she recalls. By this time Dr. Lin had moved from Texas to Washington State, but Gail was determined to take charge of her own care: "I got on the Internet and looked for his name because I remembered that he was doing something different." commonly used for such conditions as The Other Part of the Equation She traveled to Seattle to see him and arthritis. Interestingly, the combination Researchers can't take all of the credit repeated the treatment with Xeloda and of these two drugs improved colorectal for advances in cancer treatment. The Celebrex that she'd received earlier in cancer outcomes by targeting cancer patients who participate in clinical the course of the disease. She was free of stem cells in some of his patients. studies and who try new approaches to detectable cancer at the time she began treatment are a key part of the process. this treatment—and remains so. "We've already treated more than 100 patients," says Dr. Lin. The result so far: Gail Shugart, of Alpine, Texas, has Gail understands that the combination promising response rates and survival been treated for metastatic colorectal of Xeloda and Celebrex is still under among people with advanced colorectal cancer by Dr. Lin. Although Gail's study, but she feels good about working cancer. As an added benefit, the addition story does not prove that Xeloda and with someone who is actively researching of Celebrex to Xeloda reduces one of the Celebrex provide a benefit—definitive the topic. "He's an independent thinker," frequent side effects of Xeloda: hand-foot information about the safety and the she says of Dr. Lin, "and he just wants to syndrome, a condition that involves red- efficacy of this treatment requires final save lives." ness and swelling in the hands and the results from large studies—it does feet. illustrate some of the challenges and What It's All About decisions that a person confronting the Ultimately, personalized cancer care limits of standard treatments must face. is about the person. When asked what To further evaluate the combination of Xeloda and Celebrex, Dr. Lin is conducting a phase II clinical trial with When Gail was first diagnosed with motivates him, Dr. Lin responds, "It's funding from the Gateway for Cancer colon cancer in the fall of 2004, the just really gratifying. My family has Research, organization cancer had already spread to her liver. been touched with colon cancer, and I've that funds innovative, patient-centered "I was 59," she says. "I didn't really pay seen a lot of patients over the years. It's cancer research on both conventional attention to some of the signs." She certainly these patients who inspire me and complementary cancer therapies. received conventional treatments such as to do what I do today." "We're using the Gateway funding to surgery and intravenous chemotherapy Organizations such as Gateway that prospectively prove that you can induce and was also treated with Xeloda and fund innovative cancer research share complete remission in patients with Celebrex by Dr. Lin, who was then at the this focus: the organization's research colon cancer," says Dr. Lin. The study MD Anderson Cancer Center. Together mission is to support patient-centered will compare Xeloda and Celebrex with these treatments eliminated all signs of research that improves cancer treatment standard chemotherapy among patients cancer. outcomes and restores the cancer a nonprofit with metastatic colorectal cancer that In spite of this good response to initial has responded to initial chemotherapy. treatment, the cancer later returned— The study will also explore whether twice—in one of her lungs. Surgeons For more information about certain biologic markers can predict were able to remove the lung metastases, Gateway-funded clinical trials, visit: which patients are likely to respond to but Gail found that she couldn't tolerate demandcurestoday.org/cancer-research. the novel treatment. the additional intravenous medications. 24 cancer fighters thrive | spring 2013 patients' quality of life. cfthrive.com