Let's demand better treatment options

Meow13

Are there other BC people out there that want to have access to other treatments besides Chemotherapy, Radiation?

I feel like we are living in the dark ages. As anyone read this article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-sanderson/30-stars-and-doctors-sign_b_5652713.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592 ?

JohnSmith

I don't know much about "immunotherapy" treatment (does this topic belong in the "Alternative Medicine" section?), but here's a news article regarding a new cancer immunotherapy startup that just received a ton of money:

Immunotherapy startup, Juno Therapeutics receives more money (I copied & pasted the article below for those that don't want to click on the link).

Aug 5, 2014 by Meghana Keshavan, Life Sciences Reporter at MedCity News
New "Series B funding" brings cancer immunotherapy startup Juno Therapeutics to $310 million just this year
The burgeoning cancer immunotherapy space has tons of investors, to be sure, but perhaps no other startup has ever been as well-capitalized as Seattle, Washington based Juno Therapeutics, www.junotherapeutics.com

[Juno is a clinical-stage company that brings together three of the world’s leading cancer centers - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s Research Institute - in unique partnership to advance a broad pipeline of breakthrough immunotherapies.]

The company now has raised $310 million in the past year, having just closed a $134 million Series B round that comes right on the heels of its $176 million Series A this April.

This "B round" has 10 investors in the mix, including new investments from several public mutual funds, though they are opting to remain anonymous, the company said.

“What I can tell you,” CEO Hans Bishop said in a phone interview, “is that the funds invested in this round are some of the highest quality healthcare investors in the country.”

When funding comes from large public funds, or “super-investors” as Bishop called them, it opens up the option to go public.

“It gives the company optionality,” Bishop said. “If it turns out the right thing to do is stay private, we’ve got the right investor base – but if the right thing is IPO, we have investors who could help that along as well.

All previous investors also participated. Investors in the "A round" include Bezos Expeditions, the personal investment company of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and Venrock, among others.

The company is developing two immunotherapy platforms to treat hematologic and solid tumor cancers and reduce the toxicity associated with chemotherapeutics. The company plans to use the proceeds to continue advancing its chimeric antigen receptor and T-cell receptor pipeline, it said in a statement. Its CAR T-cell therapies directed against B-lymphocyte antigen CD19 is currently in phase 1/2 trials.

Juno Therapeutics was launched in Dec 2013, co-founded with financial support from ARCH Venture Partners and the Alaska Permanent fund through a partnership managed by Crestline investors.

Read more: http://medcitynews.com/2014/08/new-series-b-bring...

MusicLover

Please sign this electronic petition that is included in the link that Meow13 has brought to our attention

It is incredible how caring some people are. This gentleman, Paul Sanderson, is promoting immunotherapy to cure cancer ans help all of us plagued with this terrible disease.  He fought hard to get a drug for his wife Briggs who was battling stage IV rectal cancer but before they could get the drug for she passed away due to complications from her illness.

 This is exactly what I have been trying to promote I hope it gets more hits on this website, come on ladies!!!

Meow13

I hope everyone signs. It is terrible that you have be without any treatment options to possibly get this treatment.

peacestrength

I have signed...

MusicLover

Did it say that?  I think that will change in the future. If this works like they hope it will, it will become the treatment of choice. There are a few other threads on BCO which discuss a cancer cure using the immune system. Some of what I read says that the scientists involved say that it may be better for the patient to have received no chemotherapy, but they won't know for sure until the results from clinical trials are completed. I hope it comes quickly for all our sakes.  I hope that more women on BCO see your thread.

Lindseyc

i have signed too and emailed it to family and friends

Momine

Immunotherapy is promising, but also problematic. I forget what the complication is called, but the intense immune response of the body to the therapy can kill you. This is why they won't give it to you if you have less dangerous options. 

The flip-side is that when it works (i.e. doesn't kill you) it works very well.

peacestrength

Momine, I have read similar info relating to immunotherapy and as with any new treatment,  the safety efficacy will be studied and eventually worked out.  Cancer treatment comes with serious risks (chemo, surgery, radiation, and AI's).  I did/do all of these in hopes my survival outweigh the serious risks. I still have my copy of the chemotherapy authorization I had to sign (to be treated with chemo) where it states very serious side effects and risks including death.

I pray that this immunotherapy becomes available soon because the reality is that the immune system has difficulty in recognizing cancer.

CarrieBelongs

I see a naturopathic doctor as well as an oncologist.  My ND has never even bought this type of therapy up.  We do work on my immune strength.  If it's "alternative", why not?

Meow13

I wonder if my insurance would cover an ND. I do feel like I should be beefing up my immune system.

abigail48

we need some way to unwind.  instead of growing & changing, shrinking & going back to what it wasn't at first

Meow13

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-07/roche-rebuked-by-u-k-on-152-850-breast-cancer-drug.html

This may mean the difference between life and death and affordability gets in the way.

AlaskaAngel

Meow13, John:

I've signed. Thanks for your posts. As a Northwesterner, I'm glad to see the interest by Fred Hutch and the AK Perm Fund.

On board for the ride,

AlaskaAngel

Meow13

This woman is demanding her new treatment be available to patients that need it

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28701719

lightandwind

Signed. Thanks for posting Meow. Yes! We need to demand better/alternative solutions.