Everywhere you turn there seems to be some new coverage about the latest breakthroughs in cancer research. Although much is still in early clinicals, there is a lot of hope and promise out there.
Something that many people don't realize is that each clinical, and there are hundreds out there (for Glioblastoma alone), has it's own eligibility requirements. They may specify whether they are upfront or recurrent. They can create further exclusions based on what drug therapies or treatment options have already been pursued. Many will create additional exclusions based on whether surgical recession has been performed as well as the number and sizes of any tumors. Many further go on to exclude/include solely on the basis of a specific genetic marker that may or may not be present.
I know many of you have already seen the 60 Minutes profile that specifically looked at a treatment taking place at Duke University for Glioblastoma. At the moment Jen is ineligible for their trial as she is not yet recurrent (this is a good thing). The full story and additional information can be found using the link below.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/polio-cancer-treatment-duke-university-60-minutes-scott-pelley/
There is also the new Ken Burns film "Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies" - check your local PBS listings. I know in LA they are airing the complete program again on Sat 4/4. This program looks at the history of cancer as well as exploring some of the newer treatments that are being explored.
http://cancerfilms.org/
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