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Update on Jack's Experience with Provenge Vaccine
Trial
as of July 5, 2002
Sent: Friday, July 05, 2002 4:42 PM
To: hrpca@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [hrpca] Dendreon/Provenge trial
Hi All:
Here is my experience to date with the Phase III trial
for Dendreon's Provenge vaccine based on my own dendritic cells.
I was accepted for trial participation in December,
2001 and had baseline tests on December 27 & 28. The "therapy" phase
(described at the above site) began on 1/8/02 and was completed on 2/7/02.
|
Date |
Test |
Notes |
| |
|
|
| 12/18/01 |
PSA 44.1 |
last local test before starting
trial - up from 34.5 on 10/15 |
| 12/27/01 |
CT scans |
"No evidence of recurrent or
metastatic neoplasm." |
| Bone Scan |
"Intense increased uptake is seen in the left
scapula. It is extremely hot." Other "moderately intense uptake"
areas noted. Also
noted that which might be degenerative or metastatic. |
| 12/28/01 |
PSA 42.8
PAP 2.8 |
Covance CLS -- the trial lab.
(Difference probably due to differing lab assays.) |
| 2/19/02 |
PSA 47.7 |
local lab |
| 2/28/02 |
Bone scan |
"Interval improvement of several of the areas of
increased activity since previous exam of 12/27 suggesting interval
improvement in the metastatic disease. No new areas identified to
suggest progression." |
| 4/23/02 |
PSA 70.2 |
local lab |
| 5/15/02 |
PSA 125.8, PAP 5.8 |
Covance CLS lab |
| Bone Scan |
Compared to the prior study of 2/28/02, the current
study shows increased tracer activity in the left scapula and at T7.
These may represent disease progression or due to chemotherapy flair
(if chemo received within 3-6 months). There are no new focal
abnormalities that are suspicious for metastatic disease. [I'm assuming
the "chemo" to be the vaccine infusions. /jb] |
| 6/25/02 |
PSA 98.3 |
Local lab |
Next bone scan will be Monday, 7/8/02. I will probably
have the report within a couple of weeks after that, if I bug them
enough. :-)
Dendreon doesn't rely on PSA as a marker, but only
progression as shown by scans and (I guess) other indicators. In
fact, they said that the PSA would rise initially because the immune system
activity would mean many dead cancer cells (with PSA) would be
circulating in the blood and thus show up on tests.
Because our local lab showed a higher PSA than the
Covance base line, I consider that the latest local PSA being 20%
lower than the Covance May PSA to be a positive sign. Physically, I
still feel fine with no actual pain and no discomfort that I can
attribute to cancer.
Technically, I don't really know whether I received the
real vaccine or a placebo, but I think it must have been the real stuff.
FWIW, I understand that of the trial participants at
the Columbus, OH test site, I was the 2nd to show any regression (which may
now have turned around since then), but several had shown stability.
My tea tag this afternoon reads: "What is wrong for
one person may be
right for another."
My best,
/jack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Jack Beaven ** Dayton, Ohio **
****
MahlonBeav@juno.com ****
**10 year Prostate Cancer survivor **
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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