Avastin - lies and truths

As Cancer is a life and death sort of disease - it brings about a LOT of strong opinions. And now with our country's entry into a new world of healthcare, opinions are running rampant. I am quite saddened that fight against cancer is getting lost in political rhetoric. Mainly I am speaking of the debate on Avastin that is being waged right now. Genentech is appealing the ruling of the FDA to remove Avastin as a protocol for women with breast cancer. 


This is where the 'death panel' arguments come in against Obama from the right and the left takes the bait, taking our eyes off of the real issue. It is being argued that Avastin is being pulled simply because of cost. But the REAL argument is - "Is this a good idea for women with breast cancer?" 


Regardless of the cost, is this treatment a good treatment for women with breast cancer? In my case, it is. When I started to take the drug I was told that the average time before the cancer started to progress was 10 months. 10 MONTHS!!!!! My son was barely 2 when I was re-diagnosed. I was just hoping to make it to his 3rd birthday. I have been taking Avastin for 2.5 years and it is still working.  I hope that it continues to work. I beat out the average time to onset, so I am hoping that I am a "super responder" - someone who continues to respond very well to the treatment. 


Not all breast cancer patients respond this well to Avastin. As I mentioned before; 10 months is the average before progression of the cancer. The other measurement is life expectancy. If a woman takes Avastin for metastatic breast cancer she has a 20% chance of living another 5 years. This is the same with a woman with metastatic disease undergoing normal chemotherapy treatment. I have to tell you, I would MUCH rather be on Avastin for 5 years than on anything else. At least I have hair, a decent amount of energy and zero nausea. 5 years of on and off regular chemo treatments sounds horrible to me. But not all breast cancer patients have the ability to take Avastin because it just didn't work for them. 


So the arguments at this point should not be, should we keep Avastin for not, it should be, why are some people responding VERY well to this treatment? We know that cancer is different in each person and we are discovering more variables that we can treat. I feel like with each variable that is uncovered it is another step closer to a cure or prevention. 

The real argument is not Obama-care or any politics. It is - Does the drug work to treat Breast Cancer? Yes it does, albeit in a very small percentage of the population. Let's find out WHY this is working on some people, and not at all in others. I'd like to make it to my son's wedding.