Hello all. This is first time I have posted on any forum, so fingers crossed.
I was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer (adenocarcinoma of the right upper lobe of lung) in early February and started curative radical chemoradiotherapy treatment in mid April. I have just finished 6 sessions of weekly chemotherapy (Paclitaxel & Carboplatin). I have 6 more daily radiotherapy sessions which end on 02/06/23.
At the end of treatment, and if I am eligible, I have been invited to participate in a clinical trial called PACIFIC 9 study, a placebo controlled trial which randomises patient between Durvalumb and the addition of Oleclumab (a type of anti-cancer drug called immunotherapy that blocks the tumour from creating a chemical called adenosine, which the tumour uses to hide from the immune system. By blocking the production of adenosine, Oleculumab can allow your immune system to better recognise and attack the cancer cells) or Monalizumab (which is another type of anti cancer immunotherapy. It works on a special type of immune cell called Natural Killer (NK) cells, as well as other immune cells. It blocks a signal that prevents the NK cells and other immune cells from seeing the cancer cells. Your immune system can then better recognise and attack the cancer cells): both of these agents have proven activity in phase 2 COAST study. Durvalumab in combination with Oleclumab and Monalizumab is still in the development stage for the treatment of NSCLC, and they are not approved for treatment of NSCLC, or approved by any health authority except for use in research studies like this. This research study is designed to see if the study drugs given in combination with Durvalumab will be safe and will work better for the treatment of my type of cancer than Durvalumab alone.
I have spoken with my oncologist and his research assistant about the trial. However, my oncologist, and hospital I attend, are the lead in this trial. The only other information I can find is from AstraZeneca, who are the sponsors of this trial and from Cancer Research who get their information from the two aforementioned. So, in order to get a more balanced view and understanding I would be very grateful if anyone can shed more light on the matter for me. Someone currently taking part in the trial would be perfect but any information would be extremely helpful.
I have until Friday 02/06/23 to make my decision to take part, or not, in the trial. I am currently sitting on the fence with a 50/50 split. Some days I feel that I want to take part for mine and other future lung cancer patients benefit. Others days I just can’t bear the thought of canulas being inserted in my arm, regular full body CT scans with contrast dye, and travelling a 60 round trip to hospital and back when my side effects are so bad from treatment it just makes me want to stay in bed.
Hi Rodderz sorry you haven’t had a reply to your post yet. I wonder if the trial is relatively new, so there may not been anyone else here who is on it yet. I hadn’t heard of the trial before, and had to Google it myself.
I can understand that you will have a lot to think about before you decide whether to go ahead or not. All I can do is share my own personal experience of drug trials that my own mother participated in. To start with my mum was part of the research for the BRAC1 gene, and was the first person in the UK to be diagnosed with BRAC1. Shortly afterwards, there was a trial drug that was introduced for breast cancer, that drug was tamoxifen, a drug that today is hugely used for breast cancer. As her own cancer progressed she was on another trial drug olaparib, which did prolong her life for a while, but she would of been over the moon to learn that this year olaparib has now been approved as a drug to help benefit hundreds of people with inherited breast and prostate cancer.
You certainly have a lot to think about over the next few days. I think a lot of people go onto trials when all other treatments have run dry. Will you be getting your scan results from your chemoradiotherapy treatment before the trial started? That may help with your decision, whether your team think you need further treatment ?
