Re: Chemo Sensitivity Testing--Experience??

[Guest guest]

While this approach makes a great deal of sense, it has never been clinical

substantiated. The in vitro testing has never been shown to alter clinical

results.

Rick Furman, MD

>

> Ralph Moss has published numerous books on cancer and most

> recently " Customized Cancer Treatment: How a Powerful Lab

> Test Predicts Which Drugs Will Work for You--And Which to

> Avoid " advocates lab testing to refine the treatment

> selection process...accuracy of results are controversial.

>

> Having 11q, I believe the more standard protocols will be

> less successful--as evidenced by a recent completion of 6

> FCR cycles & modest node reduction. So this approach, if

> reliable, offers a potential venue to test various drugs

> against an individual's specific disease characteristics.

>

> This is not intended to be a substitute but rather another

> tool for our oncologists' to use.

>

> Has anyone had any experience with this type of approach?

>

[Guest guest]

This is a paradigm shift to personalized medicine...

Actually according to the CLL8 trial 11q patients generally responded

well to FCR and were thought to have a similar profile as 13q in the trial.

A few years ago there was controversial test in the UK called DiSC which was

a technique that assessed the cytotoxic drug sensitivity of fresh human cells

from patients with leukemia and other cancers. I don't know if it used much

now...

http://caltri.org/

~chris

>

> Ralph Moss has published numerous books on cancer and most

> recently " Customized Cancer Treatment: How a Powerful Lab

> Test Predicts Which Drugs Will Work for You--And Which to

> Avoid " advocates lab testing to refine the treatment

> selection process...accuracy of results are controversial.

>

> Having 11q, I believe the more standard protocols will be

> less successful--as evidenced by a recent completion of 6

> FCR cycles & modest node reduction. So this approach, if

> reliable, offers a potential venue to test various drugs

> against an individual's specific disease characteristics.

>

> This is not intended to be a substitute but rather another

> tool for our oncologists' to use.

>

> Has anyone had any experience with this type of approach?

>

[Guest guest]

In my experience chemo sensitivity is of little value for any cancer.

Here's my story: in early 2008 my daughter was diagnosed w. a melanoma tumor.

Because we wanted to do EVERYTHING possible, we sent tissue samples to a lab

that offered chemosensitivity analysis. The lab opined that her tumor would

respond to Taxol..big surprise as virtually any tissue sample will die under

Taxol.

Later, I inquired of a researcher at UCLA if chemosensitivity was valid and he

basically said " No, " and added with emphasis, " I can kill melanoma cells with

bleach in a petri dish! And it has nothing to do with any useful clinical

treatment. "

I believe the same is true for CLL and all cancers.

Most clinical oncologists would love to have a simple test and be able to dial

up the right chemo drug. There's no conspiracy among them to keep the clinical

treatments complex and expensive.

In the meantime, evidence based on occasional random correlations between

ex-vitro tests and remissions will fuel a debate that interests few qualified

researchers or clinicians.

>

> Ralph Moss has published numerous books on cancer and most

> recently " Customized Cancer Treatment: How a Powerful Lab

> Test Predicts Which Drugs Will Work for You--And Which to

> Avoid " advocates lab testing to refine the treatment

> selection process...accuracy of results are controversial.

>

> Having 11q, I believe the more standard protocols will be

> less successful--as evidenced by a recent completion of 6

> FCR cycles & modest node reduction. So this approach, if

> reliable, offers a potential venue to test various drugs

> against an individual's specific disease characteristics.

>

> This is not intended to be a substitute but rather another

> tool for our oncologists' to use.

>

> Has anyone had any experience with this type of approach?

>