On Monday I travelled up to Bristol yet again for blood tests. I became aware that efforts were being made on my behalf to prioritise my samples in order to comply with the very strict clinical trial schedule.
This morning I was phoned by my consultant who gave me the wonderful news that I have met all the eligibility criterial for the trial and that I have been randomised onto Arm B. To clarify, the trial has two "Arms". In Arm A, treatment is confined to chemotherapy. Unusually this involves three medications rather than the traditional two. In Arm B, patients receive CAR-T Cell therapy. It is this treatment that I will receive.
To put everything into perspective, the trial only requires 400 patients worldwide. Of those, only 200 will receive CAR-T Cell therapy. The trial has registered hospitals in the USA, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In each of these countries each hospital is listed as "Not yet recruiting" or "Recruiting". In the UK only three hospitals, one of which is the BHOC, are recruiting. That has taken considerable effort by my consultant to make that happen. It has then taken considerable effort to schedule me through the various tests. Only yesterday, the trial queried something in my medical history. I am indebted to my consultant and to my trials nurse. Between them, they have made this possible.
 |
| Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre (BHOC) |
The treatment I will be receiving is part of a clinical trial sponsored by Janssen Research & Development. Myeloma is more correctly referred to as Multiple Myeloma because it is to be found throughout the body. Whilst radiotherapy can often treat a specific location and thus relieve pain, it cannot resolve myeloma elsewhere in the body. The traditional treatment is chemotherapy but that cannot cure the cancer, only treat it. The normal progress means that the cancer eventually does not adequately respond to treatment.
This treatment seeks to use the body's immune system to attack the myeloma cells. Next week I will attend the BHOC for a process called apheresis where white cells will be collected from my blood stream. Those cells will then be sent to the USA where over a period of several weeks the T cells will be modified to recognise myeloma cells. The T Cells now called CAR-T Cells will then be returned to me. The treatment is not without risks but the potential outcome is worth everyone's efforts.
Like all clinical trials, this one seeks to identify effective and safe treatments. In so doing I get the potential benefit of its treatment.
I had the good fortune and gift to be one of the
twelve men who walked on the moon.
Alan Bean
Keep safe, keep well and KBO
Stephen
