I'd like to add that I have received a further report that he has now
undergone the full procedure with apparently no ill effects. All visible
traces of the tumor are gone, and although I have not heard that he is out
of the hospital, he was scheduled to be by now, and there wasn't anything
that made it look like that wouldn't happen. He was lucid and chatty and
seemed normal after the operation, according to his family. Let's all keep
the vibes up for him!
--Katrina
Ian J.Lewis <ijl at ndimension.org.uk> wrote in message
news:7u38sh$3rl$1 at gxsn.com...
>>> ------- Forwarded message follows -------
> This is a brief update on Terence from his brother Dennis:
>> Terence has decided to proceed with the p53 gene therapy protocol, which
is an
> experimental protocol in Phase I clinical trials here at the UCSF Med
Center. It involves
> using a genetically engineered adenovirus to deliver a gene, p53, to the
tumor, which
> codes for a tumor suppressor protein. P53 is mutated or damaged in
cancerous cells, which
> is one reason they are cancerous in the first place. The virus is used to
replace the
> defective gene with an active, wild-type gene; if the cells take it up,
and the gene is
> functional, it should program the cells to stop growing, and to die.
>> It's a great idea, and the closest thing to a magic bullet that high-tech
medicine has
> come up with so far. It's also highly experimental and unproven; Terence
is the fourth,
> or fifth person in the world to ever receive this therapy. The other
patients were all
> treated recently so there is no data on whether it has worked for them or
not. It has
> worked rather spectacularly in animal models, which is one reason we felt
it was worth a
> shot.
>> He's now in recovery, having completed the first and easiest step of what
is a two stage
> process. First, he was given a biopsy to determine that the tumor was
still alive, and
> active, and to collect tissue for later uses. This first procedure, other
than getting a
> biopsy, is not therapeutic, it is part of the protocol, to determine if
the cells do in
> fact take up the gene and express it. It's important for the research
that this be known,
> but does not directly benefit Terence (but it will afford an idea if the
therapy is likely
> to work). Then, a catheter was implanted into the tumor bed, and the
virus cocktail was
> administered over about 10 minutes. Now he has to remain in the hospital
for three days,
> with the catheter implanted. He can get up and move around, and does not
seem to be set
> back much from this first procedure (he was conscious and under very light
anesthesia
> during this phase). So he is staying in the hospital over the next few
days so they can
> monitor him and also to minimize the risk of
>> On Monday, he will receive the "big op," which is a craniotomy in which
they will remove
> the bulk of the tumor, and will administer additional adenovirus/p53 to
the tissue that
> remains following surgery. This second operation, the craniotomy and
debulking of the
> tumor, and in which he will get more adenovirus, is designed to be
therapeutic. He will
> in any case get the craniotomy, which is being done by one of the world's
best
> neurosurgeons, Dr. Mitch Berger. He will also get an additional dose of
the p53 gene,
> which, if it is taken up into the tumor cells and expressed, will
definitely be
> therapeutic if it works.
>> If it does not work, Terence will still benefit from the craniotomy; and,
the gene therapy
> does not preclude him from receiving additional treatments down the line,
which was one
> reason we decided to go for it; it did not require that we "burn any
bridges," as the
> doctor put it. So far, so good. We are keeping our fingers crossed and
hopes up for a
> similarly successful outcome on Monday.
>> Keep your good vibrations coming our way, and look for an additional
update to come your
> way by the middle of
> next week.
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> forwarded by
> Ian J.Lewis
> www.ndimension.org.uk
>>>>
