Ellen has started a new form of immunotherapy treatment. This is quite complicated and has come as quite a shock to us all. She is very well, the change in treatment is due to a national change in 'protocol'. She is the first child in the UK to receive the treatment and as such we are surrounded by much anxiety. The treatment aims to mount an immune response to any remaining cancer cells. It has been used in the States and parts of Europe and been shown in preliminary studies to be pretty effective. However, as is predictable it is not without its side effects. From last Wednesday Ellen was given a daily injection of IL-2 for five days. This caused her to be reasonably unwell with fever, flu-like symptoms and horrible local reactions at the injection site. Yesterday morning Ellen started a five day course of Anti-GD2, an infusion given over an eight hour period. Ellen will be on ITU for the period of the treatment due to the potential side effects (mainly intractable pain). Anti-GD2 and IL-2 will be given on five separate occasions and it is due to finish in mid-April. Ellen is doing OK this morning but is pretty knocked off on a morphine infusion.
It has been very difficult coming to terms with the fact that Ellen will again be made to be unwell as we all felt that we had made it through the 'tough' bit of her treatment. We are all trying to focus on the potential benefit of the therapy and hoping that she will cope with the next few months. Sadly the battle has re-commenced!
Apologies for not mentioning this earlier. We have been sworn to secrecy until news of the clinical trial was announced this morning. Various related press releases below:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091210/tuk-brave-toddler-in-cancer-therapy-tria-45dbed5.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8401508.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6950871.ece
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1234689/British-children-test-cancer-cure.html
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/12/10/x-factor-cash-will-help-research-for-childhood-cancer-115875-21886599/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6769790/Pioneering-new-treatment-could-offer-hope-to-childhood-cancer-sufferers.html
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