http://zerogossip.com/2009/01/08/hope-for-one-family-never-dies.aspx
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_
http://www.physorg.com/
"On the decitabine trial, patients received the intravenous drug for one hour a day for 10 consecutive days each month until the leukemia was gone. Subsequent cycles of the drug were given for three to five days, customized for each patient based on clinical response or toxicity."
My dad (age 75, his birthday was Christmas Eve) was diagnosed with AML in Feb 2008. He also found out then that it developed out of MDS, and that he had chomosome abnormalities, that made his chances for a remission very slim. Combined with his age, they basically told him there was nothing they could do.
So, not being ok with that answer, we got second and third opinions. The second said he could try standard chemo which might be difficult for someone his age (although he was in excellent health). The third was a less toxic alternative that included the Vidaza/Mylotarg regimen that you mentioned.
He chose the Vidaza/Mylotarg which worked very well on the AML (blasts under 5% after first round), and quality of life was very good (treatments were done outpatient), however his counts never got back into normal range. Luckily, he did not have any major complications. The only issue was the docs said it would just be a matter of time before the treatment became ineffective.
So again, not being satisfied with that, and with all the education we received from the wonderful people on these discussion boards, we decided to pursue a mini-SCT in hopes of a cure. Minis are better tolerated by older patients because they include a less toxic pre-conditioning regimen than a standard SCT.
Currently, my dad is at the Hutch in Seattle, where he is at day +36 post transplant and is doing well, with his white counts in normal range, and the reds and platelets on the rise. This is also being done on an outpatient basis, and luckily again he has had very few complications.
PJ also mentioned etron's mom (who I beileve is 72). Her mom was diagnosed over a year ago with AML, MDS and chomosome abnormalities also, and has been doing very well on Dacogen. I e-mailed with her last week, and they are also planning on pursuing a mini-SCT in the near future.
I hope this info helps some, and like everyone says, don't let statistics scare you. They are just historical averages that are obsolete as soon as they are printed. New advances are being made everyday, and every individual is a unique case and personal sutuation.
Best wishes and prayers,
Mark
My Dad is 70 years old young, he looks and feels great, there's only one problem...he has AML, Leukemia, and both a try at chemo as well as mylotarg, have not put him into remission...so now? Well, thus the point of this post...
Ted Kennedy's cancer 'worst kind'
WASHINGTON - A malignant glioma — the diagnosis doctors gave Sen. Edward M. Kennedy — is the worst kind of brain cancer. Malignant gliomas strike almost 9,000 Americans a year. Survival statistics are grim — few live three years and for the worst subtype, half die within a year.
Who lasts longer — and some do — depends on exactly what form of glioma someone has, whether surgeons can cut most of it out, age and some other medical details.
Kennedy's doctors didn't mention surgery, suggesting that may not be a possibility for him.
"As a general rule, at 76, without the ability to do a surgical resection, as kind of a ballpark figure you're probably looking at a survival of less than a year," said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.......
Honestly, God...if You're thinking that it's time to bring him Home, I'm sorry, God...I know I shouldn't even think this, let alone express it publicly, but...You're wrong, God, You may have made a mistake...
You and that stink-bomb song...how you would embarrass me! When the Moon hits your eye, like a big pizza sky...That's Amore...
When I was only four years old
