plum94

I want your take on the recent oncology drug shortage we are experiencing now. Drugs like cytarabine, leucovorin, thiotepa, etoposide, bleomycin, doxorubicin, and cisplatin. During our last GI tumor board meeting, I heard about clinics in the midwest complaining about shortage of 5FU. Im concern about inadequate substitutions, inadequate alternatives and rationing. Its hard for me to explain to a patient that I can not give them X drug because they are not enrolled in a clinical trial or that they are not being treated adjuvantly. It distresses the patients and it worries me. Whats your take on this situation?

Im really interested in the use of medical marijuana specially for our oncology patients. NJ Governor Christie just signed the bill last Jan of 2011. Though there are still a lot of questions to be answered from production, distribution, dispensing and prescribing. I would love to put up my own dispensary.

Its the clinical trial NCT00112658. Combination Chemotherapy as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer first designed in 2005 and later updated last May of this year. We have used this regimen in a number of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, about 10 now in a period of 7 months. Regarding the sequence of the drug administration, We prefer to give the oxali plus the leucovorin together since its run at the same rate first then the Irinotecan , then the 5fu bolus and the 5FU infusion. But looking at the study outline of the ARM 1 its showed oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours, irinotecan IV over 1½ hours, leucovorin calcium IV over 2 hours, and fluorouracil IV over 5 minutes on day 1 and fluorouracil IV continuously over 46 hours. I think we need to review the latest update. Im quite optimistic with the outcome and is curious on the buzz its creating. I'm happy to read that people are talking about it. I'm really hopeful that this maybe the first line in treatment for pancreatic cancer patients. There is hope after all.