MCL - Happy World Cancer Day
Great news! New medications approved for Mantle Cell Lymphoma!
My health is still good and I had a week to just bop along, do art and yoga, and play lots of Stardew Valley. I have been busy so far in 2023 and it was nice to get a week to chill and do next to nothing.
One of the more exciting bits of news - the FDA just approved a new medication for relapsed or refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma - Pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca). It is a tool that can be used after traditional chemoimmunotherapy (such as the Rituximab/Bendamustine/Cytorabine combo I did at the beginning of 2022) and BTK inhibitors (Zanubrutinib) no longer work.
I have started asking around to see whether this new drug can be used as my 3rd line - pushing the CAR-T back even further, or if it is meant for after CAR-T. I'm also going to be discussing this with the oncologist when I see him in March.
This is a new development - so I expect it is going to be a few months before we see this medication appear in National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.
Either way, it is an exciting development.
Options to prolong the Oasis time are a good thing.
Options for if the CAR-T doesn't provide prolonged remission are a good thing - especially since what happens after CAR-T has been a mystery to me.
I am thrilled with the state and pace of the research around the blood cancers. Just since my diagnosis last January, so much has changed and improved.
My one job for 2023 - get healthy and strong enough to take full advantage of the work of the researchers and oncologists.
To celebrate World Cancer Day - please donate to your favorite cancer charity.
Charitable organizations bridge the gaps found in American cancer research funding and patient care.
I gave my donation to the Lymphoma Research Foundation. A large percentage of their research funding goes to Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a rare disease that is still considered incurable.
I have been directly impacted by their work - the research they funded have provided access to the medication that is currently keeping me alive. For that, and for the work of the oncologists and researchers, I am grateful.