ASH 2012: Dr. Adrian Wiestner: Final Thoughts

The thoughtful Dr. Wiestner of the NIH has some provocative things to say in this brief 2 minute wrap up of our interview.
He says that there may be a significant role for chemotherapy in the future for some carefully selected CLL patients.
He reminds us that these new drugs should force us to re-examine our bedrock views about cancer cocktails. They should force us to revisit all our traditional approaches.
That is a hard thing to do, but a good thing. Doctors are by nature conservative and slow to change.
But there is a sea change coming and Dr. Wiestner suggests that this is a time to really consider what  old baggage can be tossed and what we might need on this voyage.
IMPORTANT: Dr. Wiestner's trial at the NHLBI still has openings for treatment naive 17p del patients. Check out http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01500733?term=CLL+17p+Ibrutinib&recr=Recruiting&rank=2 . This is a great opportunity at the NIH for those who qualify and I understand a number of fellow Canadians have already enrolled.
Soon I will share his updated data on this research.
Right now, here is the second part of the ASH 2012 interview:

I still have a few surprises from ASH 2012, before I start posting from ASCO 2013 later this month.
I am happy to share that my good friend and fellow CLL survivor and patient advocate, Andrew Schorr of Patient Power and I will be combining forces to offer up several interviews on CLL and other blood and solid cancer from ASCO in Chicago.
I am looking forward to working with Andrew and his professional and pro-patient team.
I have so much I want to share here: more on non-chemo approaches, important discussions on the place of cross-overs in clinical trials, new data from the AACR meeting, what we can learn from the death and autopsy of those who didn't make it, new trials starting up and old trials closing down.
So much to share.
On a personal note, May 7th marked my one year anniversary of my taking ibrutinib. I still remember my disbelief that my nodes seemed to be shrinking in those first few days, but they were. And still are. a year later, albeit, in a less dramatic fashion.
So much has happened in this last year. My mission here and elsewhere is push that we patients can get the best possible care, and that involves more research, great doctors, and wise and brave patients.
We have all those and we sure have moved the bar forward in the last year!