[Lala]

Natalie,

I hope that my experience can shed some light for you. When I was diagnosed I had the option of two very different paths of treatment; the first was Herceptin and Chemotherapy, the second was a Clinical Trial of Monoclonal drugs with no chemotherapy. The thought really over whelmed me, with the help of an oncologist I learned to look at my treatment options in a totally new light. This simple analogy helped me and my husband to finally understand; Imagine a tree with branches, each branch represents a drug choice for treatment. The more branches you have in your tree the better it is for you, if a branch should break then you jump to a new branch. As simplistic as the above analogy sounds it has helped me explain to many why I chose the clinical trial.

There are so many factors that make up a trial. Here are a few questions I asked: What phase it is in, is it an open or blind study, what are the requirements you must meet in order to participate, how will I be monitored, how many are enrolled, is there any new data from the trial from those already participating? I also researched the trial drug.

I can tell you I chose an open trial and felt comfortable with my decision. I was monitored weekly with physical exams, blood and urine tests. I was scanned every 8 weeks to insure that I was responding to the drugs. I also had the option to leave the trial at any point.

In my opinion clinical trials can offer the best in health care. It was a great experience for me. I am thankful that I had this option and I am proud to have helped in the research of a new drug for breast cancer.


Best of Luck to you,