Here's a new thought on meds

[Terms]

Check this website on new ways of treating lupus. I wonder if anyone has heard about this before.

http://www.thecarolinachannel.com/health/2...173/detail.html (http://www.thecarolinachannel.com/health/2210173/detail.html)

Terms

[gladm]

Interesting site, Terms. I do believe that a lot of lupus patients are being treated with chemotherapy. love gladm.

[marybri]

Hi :wave: :wave:
Chemo treatment is not new and has been used for quite some time here in the UK.

The drug used is cyclophosphamide, which is a very agressive chemo drug(it's the one which makes your hair fall out and makes you sick). It's an immunosupressant which wipes out your immune system hence preventing your own immune system from attacking you.

It can put you into remmission, but people normally still have to stay on a less agressive immunosupressant such as Azathioprine,and a maintenance dose of pred, and their other normal meds.

Chemo treatment is normally only given where there is serious organ involvement,and when the disease becomes life threatening.Believe me you don't want it unless it's absolutely the last resort. I've recently finished 6 months of treatment.

However the results are very encouraging.

Take care
Luv
Maryxx

[Sannie]

Hi Terms

What I read is nothing new I'm afraid!

What is different is the way it is being given over just a few days.

Several members here have had chemotherapy with great success but as the report stresses, treatment depends on the individual patient.

Take care.

Love
Sannie

[RosemaryP]

I agree there is nothing new about it.

[Clare.T]

It's about how to use Cytoxan more effectively.

What's new is that it consists of a few days very high dose cytoxan as opposed to a course of several months. and seems to avoid some of the side effects of longer treatments.


It is more like the chemo part of stem cell transplant with the stem cell angle.

It's being done at several US centres.

Research in how drugs work best is just as important as research on drugs themselves

http://www.lupuspa.org/newfiles/whatsnew04...certherapy.html (http://www.lupuspa.org/newfiles/whatsnew04_2003/cancertherapy.html)

Cheers
Clare

[artlupie]

I spoke with Dr. Michelle Petri and staff from Johns Hopkins about some clinical trials, and actually know (in a round about way) someone who benefited greatly from their work.

One of the trials is high doses of cytoxan over a very short period of time for severe kidney lupus. I think the only new approach about this one is the amount of chemo during a specific time span.

Another is a study for cognitive function that includes free brain scans and cognitive testing (4x/year for 4 years). This one is for lupus patients diagnosed nine months or less. The only requirement for this one is that you meet the ACR critera for SLE.

Hope this helps.

Carol