Sunday, March 12, 2023. The clinical trial I’m participating in is broken down into eight 21-day cycles. Last Wednesday was Cycle 3, Day 8. Cycle’s 1 and 2 required me to get an infusion of Magrolimab and Sacituzumab, as well as pre-meds for both, on Day’s 1 and 8 and Magrolimab only on Day 15. This was considered the break-in period. That first cycle both drugs were administered very slowly with an hour of observation after each one. Cycle 2 didn’t require any observation and the infusions were administered more quickly reducing 8-9 hour infusions to 5 or 6.
Now in my third cycle, I’m given Magrolimab and Sacituzumab on Day 1, taking about 5 hours (if everything moves along without delays), and on Day 8 I get Sacituzumab only which takes under 2 hours from pre-meds to infusion. Then on Day 15 (this coming Wednesday) I get a break. A week off from any clinical trial cocktails at all! That will be the treatment regimen for the remaining five cycles of this Cohort. I am stoked.
I’m happy to report that, at this point in time, the mass that resides in the vascular area just below my right collarbone is so small it can’t be felt by me or anyone on my care team. The carcinoembryonic antigen (tumor maker) numbers continue to fall–from 15.0 on February 22 to 12.6 on March 1 to 12 on March 8. That is the lowest that number has been since January 2022. Factor in the reduced size of all my lung nodules and the now barely-there mass leads me to believe that this treatment regimen might really work for me.
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you dream it, you can make it so. —Belva Davis
lana has cancer 