March 26: Mom only has two more chemo treatments of the gemcitabine in this clinical trial (March 28 and April 4). And so far, from the perspective of someone who a) isn’t taking the treatments and b) doesn’t live with the person taking the treatments, the chemo seems to be going really well. Mom gets pretty fatigued the week of the treatments, and she has some good drugs that help with the nausea. I think she still doesn’t feel right in part because of the surgery and in part because of the extensive radiation she had last summer.
All that said, this round of chemo hasn’t hit her to hard. She hasn’t lost her hair, and there haven’t been that many days that she has really felt rotten. We’ve spent most Mondays together, usually shopping and/or spending time with “Dr. Andrew.” So it’s been about as good of a round of chemo as we could have hoped for.
In other good news, a law was passed on Friday that requires insurance agencies to pay for clinical trials for cancer patients. We’re looking at a couple clinical trials that Mom might try this summer, so this could be really important. The American Cancer Society played a major role in promoting this legislation.
Governor Jim Doyle today signed Assembly Bill 617, the “Cancer Patient Protection Act,” legislation that will help ensure cancer patients can receive the treatment with the highest likelihood for success by requiring insurance companies to cover treatments associated with clinical trials.
“It is unconscionable that a cancer patient should have to pass up therapies that could significantly prolong or even save their life because their insurance company won’t pay,” Governor Doyle said.
“The Cancer Patient Protection Act will help make sure every treatment option is available to cancer patients, and I am pleased to sign it into law.”
Last year, more than 26,000 people in Wisconsin were diagnosed with cancer. For those suffering from cancer, clinical trials offer some of the most cutting-edge treatments available. But thousands of patients opt out of these treatments because their insurance requires them to pay out-of-pocket. Many times these treatments are routine, like chemotherapy, which the insurance company would pay for if it wasn’t a clinical trial.
Assembly Bill 617 protects cancer patients from having to make treatment decisions with their pocketbook. It guarantees clinical trial participants the same insurance coverage for their routine care through a clinical trial that would get if they chose a standard treatment.
Additionally, because this bill will make clinical trials a mainstream treatment option, it will encourage more people to participate in cancer research, which can ultimately save many more lives.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Scott Gunderson and Sheldon Wasserman, as well as Senators Cathy Stepp and Jon Erpenbach for their work on the bill.