I`ve been DX with MCL with blastic variant. Saw Dr. Howard At DFCI am considering Flavopiridol, any one have any info??? It's still on trial basis; very new stuff. But I have seen it mentioned on this list.....
Curt

Wendy: I read that the first three people failed to respond to FP. Yes I did talk to Dr. Liebowitz,just this past Mon. He was very helpful. Answered many ???? for me .. He said they treated seven people,one had a `good` response and a couple had partial responses. Your dad must be the one good response, I would like to hear more about his case, as I haven`t totally ruled out trying it. Although my onco talked me out of rushing into anything at the moment, as I have minimal disease at this point.
Curt

Hi Vera,this is in response to your question on Flavopiridol. Here is a message from Wendy of the MCLgroup I have a note on Flavopiridol, a press release dated September 97, ( which I retrieved in 98) which says among others: "The experimental drug, Flavopiridol, is derived from a plant from India. Cancer physicians are especially interested in this medication because it blocks one of the enzymes that certain rapidly dividing cancer cells need to multiply, This enzyme has recently been shown to play a crucial role in the progression of mantle-cell lymphoma, a form of lymphoma."...."Because the drug specifically inhibits cell division rather than killing cells directly, it may have fewer side-effects than many other anti-cancer medications. Side effects observed in small phase-I studies, which investigate the correct dose of an experimental medication, however, have included low blood pressure, fluid retention, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue and inflammation. Blood counts were minimally affected by Flavopiridol."

I was very exited by this news since it sounds non-toxic but realized that we are at the beginning (trial phase I). I believe you should contact Dr Liebowitz or the nurse in order to obtain first hand info. I'll be interested to hear what they have to say. I remember that Curt some time ago tried it and apparently did not have good results. Martin

Martin: My Dad has been through two sessions of the Flavopiridol. It is administered through a pump that you wear for three days every other week. He has four weeks of treatment (over an eight week period) before they do a CT scan. After his first session, the scan showed a 25% decrease in the size of his lymphnodes. We were very excited. He just finished his second session two weeks ago and this CT scan did not show any increase in the lymph nodes or spleen (his spleen is the size of a football and has been from the beginning) but also did not show any decrease. However, since this disease is usually so aggressive, the doctor was excited about this fact and my father has started his third session of Flavopiridol. The side effects for him have not been bad, mainly diarrhea and fatigue while he is getting the chemo., but these side effects subside within a couple of days of coming off of the pump.

The main Doc. at University of Chicago is Dr. David Liebowitz, who so far is a straight shooter, and will answer directly any questions. He is very nice and seems to be very knowledgeable about MCL. His nurse and the person you need to talk to is Sylvia Watson. She handles appointments, etc.

The main thing you need to remember is that one of the eligibility requirements is that you have only had one prior type of CHEMO drug before doing this. If you have used CHOP and Rituxan (as an example) you would not be eligible.

Because of this fact, we have chosen to do Flavo. and will keep Rituxan as a back up if the Flavo. does not work, but we could not have done it the other way around.

Prior to Flavo. my Dad was receiving CHOP and showed no improvement. He has just been diagnosed since February 13, 1998. He is 63 and is in otherwise good health.

Following is the phone number that you requested:

Sylvia Watson - 773-702-2531
Dr. David Liebowitz - 773-702-4146

I seem to have misplaced his e-mail address, but I will post it on the list server when I find it. I hope that this helps, please feel free to contact me with any other questions. I would be glad to help. Keep Fighting!!
Wendy
barbiewheels@email.msn.com

Get the Alta Vista Search engine with this hyperlink--- AltaVista: Main Page (Keyword to: http://www.altavista.digital.com/)

Put in "flavopiridol" in search box. It will tell you all you want to know.

Good Luck, Jerry

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Gathered by Vera Bradova © 1998
Updated 11-7-1998