Dendritic Cell Therapy (AKA DCVax)

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HI All,

I've just returned from Germany where I received this treatment. Happy to answer any questions.

  • Sure DM me for next week. Currently on hols in Cornwall 

  • Thank you! Enjoy your trip!

  • Hi Mat. So great to hear this has worked for you - how encouraging. My father has recently been diagnosed with a very aggressive and large grade iv glioblastoma. We have been looking at immunotherapy - but aren’t sure how quickly it acts / the process length/ whether you can do it after a certain size the tumour has grown too etc - time isn’t something we have right now. Are you able to help at all in terms of sharing a few details around your treatment? Hearing from someone who’s been through the process would be invaluable. 
    my father is 70. And obviously the older you are the harder these things hit/ are able to be recovered from. He’s deteriorating by the day and we are desperate to see if there is any hope of a mirPray tone1 for him… thanks so much Pray tone1

  • Quickly ? I'm not sure. It was done in conjunction with Lomustine. But my improved scan was 3 months later.

    The process was two 0ne-day visits to Germany. So you can stay for a week or do a couple of overnight trips. If the tumour is too large, it may be too late for this treatment. The clinic says it works best at an early stage when the tumour is smaller.

    I'd recommend contacting them to ask.

  • Hi Mat, 

    thanks for sharing your experience. My cousin was diagnosed with GBM a few months ago, and we are currently looking at treatment options (he is almost done with his first radio/chemo cycle). We heard about DCVax-L, but it sounds like it might take a while to access it (and it's not even clear whether this will happen) + costs are a concern. I have been browsing the website you shared and was wondering if there was any specific publication on glioblastoma by the LDG/any names of specialists working there we could look up? We are evaluating different options now, and the more information we find the more chances we have to make an 'informed' decision. Thanks a lot! 

  • Nothing specific on GBM, but a Google search on Frank Gansauge + cancer will bring him up.

    The cost was 17k Eur plus travel costs each shot. I've had two, but still way cheaper than DCL Vax I've heard. I am not eligible for that as the surgeon didnot keep any tumour samples. So this is a peptide vaccine.

    www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../vaccines-to-treat-cancer

  • thanks a lot for your prompt reply and the link. I might drop them an email and try to find out more. We do have tumour samples so technically he could be eligible, I am just worried about time and money...

  • sorry, I meant he could be eligible for DCVAx-L

  • Yep I heard 250k. Is that right ?

  • not sure yet, as we are still exploring options and have only sent a couple of emails where costs were not discussed  but I would imagine it is far more expensive than the Germany treatment