The phrase “Better Living Through Chemistry” is a variant of an old advertising slogan used by DuPont to promote its chemical products. I’ve grown fond of using my own twist on the slogan, “Better Living Through Toxic Chemistry”, to describe my experiences with one of the most toxic melanoma treatment regimens—biochemotherapy.
According to results of a 400-patient trial reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, biochemotherapy is the first and only adjuvant therapy to demonstrate a significant improvement in relapse-free survival compared to high-dose interferon in stage III melanoma patients. (Read the full article here.) For reasons I probably shouldn’t disclose in this public medium the docs who performed biochemotherapy on yours truly chose not to participate in this particular study, but remain convinced that the regimen is a better option than interferon for some high-risk stage III melanoma patients. Like me. And, since I’m approaching nine years of relapse-free survival, I’ll “second that emotion”.
DuPont I'm not and I’m not trying to sell you anything. But if biochemotherapy is on your menu of treatment options as an alternative to interferon, I’d be more than happy to talk with you one-on-one about this grand adventure from the patient’s perspective.
My hope and prayer is that some day soon, high-risk stage III patients will have a lengthier treatment menu with more effective and less toxic options to choose from. Meanwhile, I’ll sign off with The Hotel Melanoma rendition of “Into The Great Wide Open” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmFxgEGKH0
Richie waited ‘til he started to drool
He went to Doctor Good, got some scans too
He met a cure up there that sounded quite new
His future was wide open
He moved into a place he’d loathe to afford
He found a night nurse she would block him at door
He had a PICC line and two pumps with long cords
Outside was off limits
Into the great fright dopin’
Wonders why fried as youth
Caught in the great fright dopin’
A patient without a clue
The doctors said Rich always played well his part
He scared some res’dents and a nurse aide named Barb
They made some records and they went in his charts
Drug highs had their limits
His two IV pumps had bells that would jingle
They both were IV stars, pharmas were mingled
His heart crash cart man said, "I don’t hear a single."
His future was wide open
Into the great fright dopin’
Wonders why fried as youth
Caught in the great fright dopin’
A patient without a clue
Into the great fright dopin’
Wonders why fried as youth
Caught in the great fright dopin’
A patient without a clue
Into the great fright dopin’
Wonders why fried as youth
Caught in the great fright dopin’
A patient without a clue
Into the great fright dopin’
Wonders why fried as youth
Caught in the great fright dopin’
A patient without a clue
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