Trials

FormerMember
FormerMember
  • 30 replies
  • 30 subscribers
  • 25713 views

Hey has anyone with triple negative doing the c-trak trial, 

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Morning

    Can't recall anyone mentioning the c-TRAK Trial recently. There was this brief discussion about it over a year ago you can find here.

    I checked out the BreastCancerCare forums too and only one mention of the trial there - The message was only from July this year, so if you don't find anyone in this group on c-TRAK you could check out the BCC site.

    Take care, G n' J

  • Hi Gummybear69. Yes I’ve been on this trial since December.  Any questions, please let me know x

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi, Gummybear.

    Yes, I'm on the c-trak-tn trial. I signed up in March, & have been receiving the immunotherapy drug since June. I was fine for the first 4 cycles, able to get on with life as normal, go to the gym, eat my usual diet. 

    Then I developed immunotherapy induced colitis & had 10 days in hospital while they stabilised me. I'm still on a high dose of steroids, and my next treatment cycle is on hold till I can be weaned off them. My gut is behaving normally now, though, so I hope I will be back on Pembro soon.

    I have my treatment at the Marsden in Chelsea.

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    Thank you so much for the info I really appreciate it, 10 days in hospital wow, that must have been worrying, I hope your well now. Mines will be the western in Edinburgh 

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    It was ok, really. They were very thorough, explaining what was happening & why. It's kind of reassuring that they were able to stabilise the reaction with no more drama than a course of steroids. 

    My worry was that it wouldn't settle, which would have meant I'd have to stop Pembro. The trial isn't like chemo - there is no option to reduce the drug. It's full dose or nothing. And since my cancer is showing definite signs of further progression, I want to keep going. I'm crossing all fingers and toes that it will be ok.

    Do you know whether you will get the drug?

  • Hi,

    After being on this trial since December I was told this week that they’ve detected tumour DNA in my blood and I’ve been randomised to the Pembrolizumab arm.  Getting scanned next week to see if I have any visible metastasis.  I’m devastated that it’s come back. I threw everything I think possible at it. It’s so unfair. Don’t really know how to deal with this. 

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to Run4it

    Yes, it's a shock, isn't it? They found tumour dna in my very first blood sample for the trial, taken just a couple of weeks after I finished 8 cycles of Capecitabine. That was gruelling and I felt it had been for nothing. But then I reminded myself - at least I tried.

    My scans show suspicious activity in the lymph nodes of the internal nammary chain (I had that at initial diagnosis, and it never went away) & in my lungs, a little worse each time, but not enough to make them throw me off the trial yet. I feel like I'm hanging on by my fingernails. 

    Like you, I'm doing everything I can think of to boost my chances. Exercise, diet  positive attitude, anything that I think makes sense. I think that's all we can do.

    Good luck.

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    I got a call saying they had found mutations and I had to give more blood, and I just have to wait and see if I get randomised for the drug, I'm like yourself if there is a chance of the cancer coming back I'll try anything, and do any trial, I'm glad your ok now, I'm quiet a positive person and kind if just go with the flow, do you mind me asking what stage your cancer was at, 

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    No problem. At diagnosis in late Dec 2017 I had a 5 cm tumour in my breast  & no node involvement. 2 weeks later it was 8cms with spread to axial nodes and internal mammary chain. So that was classed as stage 3b or 3c, I'm not sure which. Basically, bad news from the outset.

    I was scheduled for 3 EC chemo sessions followed by 3 Docetaxol, all at 3 weekly intervals. A bad reaction to the first Docetaxol put me in hospital, so that was switched for weekly Paclitaxel, & as an ultrasound showed no shrinkage my oncologist added weekly Carboplatin too. 

    Fast forward a few weeks and I could feel growth in the nodes under my arm. Another ultrasound confirmed that chemo simply wasn't working for me, so we stopped & I was fast tracked into surgery. I had a single mastectomy and full node clearance, followed by radiotherapy.

    I was told after surgery but before radiotherapy that my cancer would be back, and soon. It has beaten their estimate.

    Then, because I'm determined to try everything, I had 8 cycles of Caecitabine. And now I'm on c-trak, and hoping I can continue receiving Pembro. I hope you get it too. 

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to FormerMember

    Your story is amazing you must have been so worried, I was stage 3 had chemo same as you, surgery, lump and all lymph nodes removed, radiotherapy and im now on Capecitabine till December, it will be a year on Oct 11th, I hope all goes well, thank you so much for replying to me