I agree with almost all Dr. Wierda has to say, but I take a somewhat dimmer view of the forward looking place for chemotherapy for us CLL patients.
I like this interview as it shows the advantages of being able to stay with a topic and get more in depth answers that provides us with the information we patients need, but may not want to hear. This may mean learning research news that is not to our liking, but could be very much to our advantage to know.
That is what I strive to do.
Below is a list of coming medications for CLL. One of them (ibrutinib) is already approved, a few more are very close, some are in development and look promising in early trials, and more than a few of these will never make it to market, but hopeful more and more will be added to ourarmamentarium. We need more options. We need more combination and sequential therapies with targeted non cytotoxic drugs.
More from ASCO soon. Some of my ASCO interviews with likely be just audio. Due to the expense, my lack of any external funding and the challenges of scheduling times and places with these very busy doctors, a voice recording may be the only way that I can get some of the research news that we patients need to know. I am going to ASCO with no videographer, just my handheld mike/camera.
The good news that by working in collaboration with my friend and CLL advocate, Andrew Schorr of Patient Power, he and his team have kindly provided the their excellent resources so that three of my interviews will be available in video on his site and here on my blog and elsewhere.
I am grateful to Andrew and for the opportunity to be there.
