Ask HN: How to Find the Best Info on Cancer Treatments?

anon3315's [oddly] dead comment:

(See my comment below for context, currently undergoing chemo). Just wanted to comment that I'm a huge fan of Genentech. They developed Ritiximab (Rituxin) which I'm currently getting treated with. It's a monoclonal antibody as you mention and it's improved outcomes for my condition (DLBCL Non Hodgkins Lymphoma) by around 15%. It's given in combination with traditional 'CHOP' chemo and is called R-CHOP. It's also insanely expensive - about $5K per dose and I get 6 doses over 18 weeks.

I found my local doc was awesome when I got a second opinion from Mass General and then moved treatment to a major regional center in my local town. They moved very quickly and were cooperative. So didn't have a bad experience there personally, but YMMV.

Mods should probably un-shadowban sibling commenter anon3315.

Sorry for you and yours:

Did you attend or find any support groups and were they useful to you? If they were can you point OP to them, as you know the ones in the domain. I know that in my personal case they made a big difference.

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your close relative. Given that it is diagnosed as a stage IV GBM, you are likely looking at some combination of clinical trial based and standard of care therapy. Do not attempt to sort through the confusing web of information on the web or from publications. Many of them need the kind of context that only an academic oncologist can interpret and dont always translate to an increase in individual survival rates in a clinical setting. First and foremost, find an academic cancer center near by, preferably an NCI certified comprehensive cancer center (http://www.cancer.gov/research/nci-role/cancer-centers/find). Secondly if your relative is willing and understands the risks, find them an applicable clinical trial to enroll into. The biggest obstacles to effectively treating GBM are the location of the tumor(s), the existence of the blood-brain barrier and the highly aggressive nature of tumor growth. All the best and I really hope you and your relative can find the strength to get through this difficult phase.

Gliomas make up 80% of all malignant brain tumors. High-grade gliomas are fast growing, aggressive, and difficult to treat. Of these, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and the most fatal, with a reported survival rate of less than 10% in the first five years.

Interestingly, while GBM and gliomas have been highly resistant to traditional treatment, much of what is known about the demonstrated ability of cannabis to fight cancer comes from research conducted on GBM and glioma tumor cells.

Scientists hypothesize that because brain cells have the highest concentration of cannabinoid-binding receptors in the body, brain tumors also rich in these receptors may respond best to cannabinoids (chemical compounds such as THC and CBD as found in cannabis).

http://www.cbdfarm.org/glioblastoma-and-cannabis-oil.html

See for yourself how THC selectively kills GBM cells while leaving normal cells alone by watching this time-lapse video taken from an actual human tumor.

http://www.cbdfarm.org/blog/medical-marijuana-news/cannabis-...

http://www.medicaldaily.com/cannabis-shrinks-brain-tumors-as...