Am I Wrong in Thinking
That if I go 5 years they will have new drugs to treat us....
That in 5 years they will have a ton of new advances to help us...
I tell myself often that even if it comes back, 4-5 years down the road, they will have a ton of new treatments for us.
Am I in denial or ?
Has this been the case in the past 5 years?
Comments
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Jen, that is so hard to predict. I wish I knew all the answers, too. All I know is that there are many things in the pipeline...getting something to the trial stage, however, is a very arduous process, even if it has promise. Trials have several stages and getting through all of them takes years and years.
I do predict we will see drugs like Zometa become the standard of care to prevent bone metastesis...it's almost there now.
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i look at the changes since i was dx'd almost 6 years ago .. i don't think you are wrong in thinking new technology is coming .. when i was dx'd sentinal node biopsies, herceptin, and arimidex/aromisin/femera were relatively new in the arsenal for mainstream patients ... since then tykerb, abraxane, and the new targeting methods are coming .... hang in there !
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I agree with Nancy.
It takes soooo long to get to a trial stage. And then when you get to that stage it takes longer.. Seriously, I was hoping to see early results of the SOFT trial the end of this year, but I don't think its likely. The SOFT trila results won't probably be available for at least 5 yrs likely more. That does me no good.
But, right now there is a lot out there. Remember, just don't look at it from a drug standpoint. There is also "other" things you can do to help you never look at BC again. Like exercise, eating well. THAT has been proven too.
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I am very grateful that there are drugs approved for us now, that women 10 years ago didn't have. AI's, herceptin, taxanes....even the strength of Chemo is able to be much higher because of Neupogen shots.
Would I love there to be a major drug breakthrough in the next couple of years?? Yes, absolutely. The trouble is that the process for approval takes so jolly long - think Zometa.
However, I am hopeful that there will constantly be more and more drugs in our arsenal.
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I believe that there will be changes down the road for us and anyone diagnosed with BC in the future.
Not only in medicine available but in treatment protocols and options as well as patient education.
I have a friend who was diagnosed 3 years ago and although our diagnosis is similiar our treatment is not.
I was given Neupogen after each chemo infusion - she was not.
I will receive radiation even though I had a mastectomy and only 1 node positive - she was told she didn't need it because she only had 1 node positive and at the time 3 or more was the protocol for radiation.
I was given Zometa and will continue to have it for the next 3 years. She does not qualify for it now.
My friend and I are both ER & PR + - I asked my doctor for an alternative to taking Tamoxifen and he is referring me to a OB/GYN to have my ovaries and tubes removed. She was simply given a prescription for Tamoxifen and told to take it for 5 years. She has to undergo regular internal U/S and had an ovarian cyst recently that made her into a nervous wreck until it was properly diagnosed.
Now there has been a breakthrough on taking Aspirin.
So you see - there are changes happening all the time with BC so who knows what the future will bring....
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i agree it takes a long time to get drugs through the trial process .. it takes a long time to determine effectiveness (5/10/15 year survival rates) and the lawsuits certainly make it risky to go to standard protocol before the i's and t's are dotted and crossed ....
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Pure, There is no "wrong" thought. It is only a thought and thoughts can be changed. I would not put my entire faith in medicine for healing, as I am a total believer that it is body, mind and spirit.
There are so many protocols of treatment out there. I was so fortunate that my oncologists believe in the word "CURE". I am cured of cancer. If 22 weeks of chemo followed by surgery and radiation didn't do it, taking a drug that blocks estrogen in my body, but destroys my bones is sure as heck not going to do it! That is why, I have turned to a holistic approach to remain cancer free!
There are so many options out there..... you just have to research it and trust the information. Continuing to cut out body parts is not the answer.
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It's good for us to be hopeful of things that will be available to us in 5 years. I try to remain hopeful that I will make the 5 year mark. I'd like to share an email my dear girlfriend sent around to a group of volunteers I belong to for a dog rescue group. See below:
My good friend Hillary is doing the Susan G. Koman 3-Day for the Cure this year and needs help reaching her goal donation of $2300.00.
Breast Cancer is no stranger to my family and I am sure many of you know someone who has been through this struggle themselves...
Please donate towards a cure and to help Hillary meet her goal! This is a cake walk for her as she walks 20 miles a day doing field work out in Arizona as an Environment Biologist... so putting her miles to a better cause is just a bonus. You can donate directly on her link below or if you prefer to mail in a donation there is a form on the link with her name & info you can fill out and send in directly.
Thanks! http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2010/ArizonaEvent2010?px=4701023&pg=personal&fr_id=1460 Welcome to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure: www.the3day.org Please support me as I take an amazing journey in the fight to end breast cancer! The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the CureTM are invested in breast cancer research and community programs. -
Jen - Your thought process is a good one, I am TN and treatment for TN has come a long way in the last few years. Yes, new drugs take a long time.............but there will be new and better ways as the years go on. In the meantime, do what you can to keep yourself healthy.
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I think there will be new treatments and advances in 5 years. There are currently in clinical trial therapies ranging from immune therapies, oncolytic viruses, nanoparticle chemo delivery systems to natural therapies like immune boosting mushroom extract (maitake D) and vitamins like tocotrienols. I'd like to think there are more therapies I've never heard of that will be entering clinical trial during the next 5 years, but these I've mentioned are some that are already being tested. As well there are improved drug screening techniques that are identifying existing drugs that have therapeutic value for breast cancer. For example, that antibiotic that kills cancer stem cells. There's good reason to be hopeful.
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