We have a plan!

I will be doing a clinical trial using ARQ-197. This trial is specific to metastatic triple negative BC, and I will be one of 26 in the US on this trial. ___________________________________________________________ www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/sho... ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20506063 ___________________________________________________________ The drug is administered in three week cycles, and I will take it orally twice a day...for as long as it works. This will work with our trip to Hawaii and so I am extremely happy that Dr. Chen agreed that this was a good one for me. It seems clinical trials are all about timing - showing up at the right time when a trial is opening or about to open and meeting the inclusion criteria. Lots of bloodwork and scans, but I see that as a good thing - someone is keeping very close tabs on this nasty beast. ___________________________________________________________ The trial should be starting in the next two weeks, so I will be waiting impatiently for the clinical trial nurse to call me with the details and answer any questions. My oncologist gave me a copy of the consent form with all the info about the trial, and it seems it's a pretty mild drug. The most common side effect is fatigue and the usual low blood counts. ___________________________________________________________ Ah, I found the real name of the drug - tivantinib...here is a link to a Phase III clinical trial that explains a little more about how it works: ___________________________________________________________ http://2020pharma.com/content/phase-iii-trial-selective-c-met-inhibitor-tivantinib-starts-enrolling-patients ___________________________________________________________ After our appointment, Rick, Christine and I went to Stoli in Brookline. We had found this place on one of our previous Dana Farber excursions and had a drink while we were waiting to meet our friends Ann and Jack at La Morra which is in the same general area. We loved the vibe of the place - the bartender is from Russia and we had a great conversation with her about Russian history and politics. It's a very small restaurant - maybe 12 tables or so and room at the bar for four. I expected the food to be hearty and earthy. But no, it wasn't like that at all. Rick had beef stroganoff and his was a little heavier. Christine had a delicious roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and the freshest veggies that looked like they came from the garden this morning. And I had lamb chops with the same veggies - the plate was beautiful and looked so appetizing!