Showing posts with label Olaparib. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olaparib. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2016
Blood Transfusion
My 2 week visit at PMH on July 12th resulted in another paracentesis where they removed 4.8 litres. The clinic visit then had to inform me that my blood work came back with low hemoglobin counts. This is the first time I have had this happen but it is a side effect of Olaparib/Lynparza. I know I was feeling fairly fatigued and sleepy but I had no idea. So a blood transfusion was ordered and 2 days later I was back at PMH getting 2 units of red blood cells pumped into me. Immediately afterwards I felt much better and was even able to walk a little faster than usual. Now several days later I feel fatigued again and wonder if it is the blood or just the side effects of the pills. I hope this resolves itself soon.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Continuing the Journey with Olaparib
It has now been one month since taking Olaparib. 16 pills per day for 30 days. Morning and night. Thank goodness for alarms on phones. Before I take Olaparib I take another pill one hour before in preparation. Then after the Olaparib I must wait 2 more hours to take some other pills I was taking before. So many pills. In my former like (before cancer), I did not take any pills except for vitamins which I still take.
I have not had many side effects from this medication. I have some fatigue from time to time but it is pretty minor. Whether this treatment is working or not will not be known until after a CT Scan scheduled for July 25th.
My main issue is with ascites which has not subsided. I have had 2 more paracentesis since my last blog entry where they drained off 4 litres of fluid each time. That is 8 pounds that I was carrying around. My clothes do not fit properly and it is just damn uncomfortable. Instead of going to Toronto once per month for a check in I need to go every 2 weeks so they can keep tabs on the ascites. I hope these pill are doing the job as intended and that the ascites subsides. Makes it quite difficult to plan a wardrobe that does not include waistless garments.......
Enough of my whining...... A close acquaintance is in Toronto who is close to the end of life. She has suffered with Ovarian Cancer for the past 4 or 5 years. A Canadian living in Spain, this past winter she decided to come back to Ontario for continued treatment at Princess Margaret. Unfortunately, she developed an obstruction in the small intestine and has been mostly in hospital for this. She has been on TPN with no food or fluids by mouth.
We met through mutual friends and family while in Barcelona a couple of years ago. She was healthier and vibrant at that time. She took time out of her schedule and showed us some of the sights which we will forever remember. I wish I could have known her better but life waits for no one and we must do our living while we can.
I have not had many side effects from this medication. I have some fatigue from time to time but it is pretty minor. Whether this treatment is working or not will not be known until after a CT Scan scheduled for July 25th.
My main issue is with ascites which has not subsided. I have had 2 more paracentesis since my last blog entry where they drained off 4 litres of fluid each time. That is 8 pounds that I was carrying around. My clothes do not fit properly and it is just damn uncomfortable. Instead of going to Toronto once per month for a check in I need to go every 2 weeks so they can keep tabs on the ascites. I hope these pill are doing the job as intended and that the ascites subsides. Makes it quite difficult to plan a wardrobe that does not include waistless garments.......
Enough of my whining...... A close acquaintance is in Toronto who is close to the end of life. She has suffered with Ovarian Cancer for the past 4 or 5 years. A Canadian living in Spain, this past winter she decided to come back to Ontario for continued treatment at Princess Margaret. Unfortunately, she developed an obstruction in the small intestine and has been mostly in hospital for this. She has been on TPN with no food or fluids by mouth.
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| Beautiful resort town of Sitges |
Sunday, April 24, 2016
There is Nothing Permanent Except Change.
This past week I received the results of my April 5th CT Scan. The lesion they follow for the purposes of the clinical trial is still showing no progression which is good news but the scan also shows evidence of ascites build up. It is not so much but 5 days later I can definitely feel it and it is uncomfortable. Also my CA 125 has been on the rise for the last few months. It is now 219 as of April 19th from a record low of 13 on August 15, 2015. The upswing in values has rapidly increased since February. In other words it is now rising quickly. All this evidence is pointing to the fact that treatment from this clinical trial is not as effective as it has been in the past. I can't complain though. I have had a good long run. One year actually. That is the longest any treatment has kept the beast down.
The good folks at Princess Margaret are lining up the next line of defence. We have applied to AstraZeneca to their Managed Access Program for Olaparib which is something called a PARP inhibitor. PARP inhibitors can destroy cancer cells that have abnormal BRCA genes, but do not destroy normal cells. I have the BRCA2 mutation.
Olaparib has not been approved by Health Canada but it has been in the U.S. by the FDA. This access is provided internationally for those countries where it is not yet approved. Once approved it will be available via prescription, however, I understand that it is very expensive and many drug plans may not pay for it.
This approval for Managed Access may take a month or so and then I will be part of a new study. In the meantime I am continuing on the trial because of the good results of the scan although the ascites is building up. This is something we can deal with although I never feel it is frequent enough. Most hospitals will not perform a paracentesis unless there is a considerable amount of fluid to drain.
Once it is deemed that disease progression is occurring then I will switch over to Olaparib treatment which consists of taking about 16 capsules a day and monthly clinic visits. Much better than going to Toronto for weekly chemo treatment........
A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I went to Toronto for a few days to be tourists. We had a good time and had some good quality time together.
St. Lawrence Market
The good folks at Princess Margaret are lining up the next line of defence. We have applied to AstraZeneca to their Managed Access Program for Olaparib which is something called a PARP inhibitor. PARP inhibitors can destroy cancer cells that have abnormal BRCA genes, but do not destroy normal cells. I have the BRCA2 mutation.
Olaparib has not been approved by Health Canada but it has been in the U.S. by the FDA. This access is provided internationally for those countries where it is not yet approved. Once approved it will be available via prescription, however, I understand that it is very expensive and many drug plans may not pay for it.
This approval for Managed Access may take a month or so and then I will be part of a new study. In the meantime I am continuing on the trial because of the good results of the scan although the ascites is building up. This is something we can deal with although I never feel it is frequent enough. Most hospitals will not perform a paracentesis unless there is a considerable amount of fluid to drain.
Once it is deemed that disease progression is occurring then I will switch over to Olaparib treatment which consists of taking about 16 capsules a day and monthly clinic visits. Much better than going to Toronto for weekly chemo treatment........
A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I went to Toronto for a few days to be tourists. We had a good time and had some good quality time together.
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| Aquarium |
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| Aquarium |
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| Royal Ontario Museum |
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Solo2 Clinical Trial
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is a busy place. I had to wait an hour to get my bloodwork done and then found out I was in the wrong place. I have a port-a-cath and should have gone to Ambulatory Care for blood work. Next time.
My appointment was for 10:30 but did not see doctor until 12:30 pm. They are quite busy seeing the multitudes. We left Princess Margaret at 2:30 pm. We were there a full 5 and 1/2 hours. I hope you never have to see an oncologist or the inside of a cancer centre. Chances are you will because as people live longer their cells go haywire and cancer develops.
This was considered a first meeting and after discussing my medical situation the doctor seemed to think that I may be a suitable candidate for the Solo2 clinical trial. This was not before he had to leave several times to confer with various researchers. Seems most of my ducks are getting in order: recurrent ovarian cancer, favourable response to a platinum drug (Cisplatin), BRCA2 carrier (they need to still see my genetic report from 2011), and CT Scans show some visible evidence of disease (they will have to verify this more).
They also decided I should finish up with my chemo treatments. Usually a course of chemo is 6 infusions. I have 2 more to go. The study requires patients to begin the trial within 8 weeks of chemo ending. Therefore, my last chemo should be the week of September 22nd and if accepted into trial I would begin no later than week of November 17th. That is according to my calculations.
The drug they are testing is Olaparib. As I stated in a previous post it is a drug that inhibits a cancer cell from repairing itself. It is considered a maintenance drug which keeps the cancer from growing so that it lengthens the period of 'remission'. That is what we are always trying to achieve although technically I have not been in remission since 2011.
Solo2 is a phase III trial and they are recruiting 264 people all over the world. Because the researchers have not yet decided whether I qualify they wanted me to get registered in case the study closes between now and November. If the study closes then I can still participate. Of course they still have to definitively accept me into the study and I have to consent. I was given a 23 page Study Information and Consent Form to read. It is quite extensive in introducing the study, its purpose, a thorough explanation regarding its experimental status, charts explaining how often I need to visit hospital for tests and follow ups, all the potential side effects, my responsibilities as a participant, confidentiality, risks, etc. I can drop out of study at any time.
On the one hand I hope to be accepted into this trial. It is cutting edge science and could help me to attain some degree of remission. Cost is picked up by drug company (AstraZeneca). This study, if successful, could provide oncologists with another tool for maintenance treatment in future ovarian cancer cases. On the other hand it is experimental. Long term side effects are unknown. Side effects while on drug could be unpleasant but maybe not. At least with chemo my experience is a week of unpleasantness and a couple of weeks of normalcy of sorts. And I could end up in the placebo group and get no benefit at all. I still have several questions I want to ask of my assigned trial nurse and I have some time to fully consider this trial.
My appointment was for 10:30 but did not see doctor until 12:30 pm. They are quite busy seeing the multitudes. We left Princess Margaret at 2:30 pm. We were there a full 5 and 1/2 hours. I hope you never have to see an oncologist or the inside of a cancer centre. Chances are you will because as people live longer their cells go haywire and cancer develops.
This was considered a first meeting and after discussing my medical situation the doctor seemed to think that I may be a suitable candidate for the Solo2 clinical trial. This was not before he had to leave several times to confer with various researchers. Seems most of my ducks are getting in order: recurrent ovarian cancer, favourable response to a platinum drug (Cisplatin), BRCA2 carrier (they need to still see my genetic report from 2011), and CT Scans show some visible evidence of disease (they will have to verify this more).
They also decided I should finish up with my chemo treatments. Usually a course of chemo is 6 infusions. I have 2 more to go. The study requires patients to begin the trial within 8 weeks of chemo ending. Therefore, my last chemo should be the week of September 22nd and if accepted into trial I would begin no later than week of November 17th. That is according to my calculations.
The drug they are testing is Olaparib. As I stated in a previous post it is a drug that inhibits a cancer cell from repairing itself. It is considered a maintenance drug which keeps the cancer from growing so that it lengthens the period of 'remission'. That is what we are always trying to achieve although technically I have not been in remission since 2011.
Solo2 is a phase III trial and they are recruiting 264 people all over the world. Because the researchers have not yet decided whether I qualify they wanted me to get registered in case the study closes between now and November. If the study closes then I can still participate. Of course they still have to definitively accept me into the study and I have to consent. I was given a 23 page Study Information and Consent Form to read. It is quite extensive in introducing the study, its purpose, a thorough explanation regarding its experimental status, charts explaining how often I need to visit hospital for tests and follow ups, all the potential side effects, my responsibilities as a participant, confidentiality, risks, etc. I can drop out of study at any time.
On the one hand I hope to be accepted into this trial. It is cutting edge science and could help me to attain some degree of remission. Cost is picked up by drug company (AstraZeneca). This study, if successful, could provide oncologists with another tool for maintenance treatment in future ovarian cancer cases. On the other hand it is experimental. Long term side effects are unknown. Side effects while on drug could be unpleasant but maybe not. At least with chemo my experience is a week of unpleasantness and a couple of weeks of normalcy of sorts. And I could end up in the placebo group and get no benefit at all. I still have several questions I want to ask of my assigned trial nurse and I have some time to fully consider this trial.
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