Why did I allow my hopes to be raised only to know they would be dashed?
My oncologist told me 2 weeks ago that I was not eligible to go on a drugs research trial because melanoma was found in one node in my groin & one in my pelvis (classed as 2 areas for research purposes). I eventually got my head around it & accepted it but then at the appointment with my surgeon last week he queried the 'grey area' of the guidelines on one of the drugs trials and arranged for the clinical research nurse to question the guidelines in the hope I would be accepted.
My surgeon is a wonderful man & I understand he wants the best chance for his patients, however, after a week of deliberations and my nerves been shot to shreds the drugs trial have rejected my eligibility because of the large area dissection that, in my surgeons words 'was necessary to ensure that the patient had all cancerous cells removed'.
My surgeon has pointed out that large area dissections are becoming more common but they do not fall within the nice neat small surgical areas that drugs companies prefer for their research. Apparently my case is the first time this 'grey area' has been raised & that it is going to be a growing problem for patients in the future. They are now going to have to look at the existing guidelines otherwise very few melanoma patients will be accepted on the trials as they stand now.
Unfortunately for me, any change in the guidelines will be too late as the deadline for me to be accepted is in 2 weeks time and the wheels of officialdom turn far too slowly. I am thankful I have a wonderful surgeon, I just wish he didn't have to fight the stupid bureaucracy of the drugs trials. And I wish I hadn't let my hopes be raised cos I feel worse now than I did before.
