I just finished my 5 year/ 60 month commitment 2 weeks ago as the very last patient dosed in Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. C-144-01 Phase 2 Cohort 4 #ClinicalTrial for LN-144 aka #Lifileucel NCT02360579
https://lnkd.in/gJgnZ2vV
Now FDA approved and labeled as #AMTAGVI.
As 1 of the 12 #MucosalMelanoma patients out of the 153 total that received their #TIL, I am 1 of the 6 responders of the subset.
After receiving my TIL infusion on January 15, 2020 followed up by 6 doses of IL-2, my follow up scans 6 weeks later showed 50-60% reduction and at my 9 month scans showed a CMR. A couple of of PET-CT’s confirmed this and my scans have continued to be clean and clear.
In addition to being the very last patient dosed, I was 37 years old at the time with 6 prior failed lines of systemic treatments (surgeries and radiation not included). It was either I do this trial and it works or I finish out my days in hospice.
On 11/25/2019 I had the extraction from a 6X6cm lymph node in my R groin & shortly after received the news that my CELLS were growing as intended and the arrangements were made to be admitted to the hospital for NMLD in December of 2019. I remember thinking, “Wow, I’m going to be spending Christmas in the hospital“.
On review of my baseline scans the day before I was to be admitted at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, on 12/10/2019 I was given the news of a 1 cm brain metastasis on the occipital lobe and a untreated brain Mets was a automatic exclusion. I was devastated.
Thankfully, Texas Oncology reached out to my Colorado team and long story short is the clinical trial very last date end date for TIL infusion was 1/15/2020. To get back in, I had to treat the Brain Mets and re-scan to prove the mass was stable or in reduction while still meeting the requirements for the washout period. This required 5 SRS Radiation treatments, 1/day for 5 days. The last date to scan was 12/24/2019. The roadblock insurance approval to get on schedule for a custom mask to be made. As the the Sands ran out of the hourglass, approval came on 12/16/2019, the mask made on 12/17 and did all 5 sessions in 4 days. The 4th day was a double dose and on the following day, I re-scanned on 12/24/2019. On 1/3/2020 I was told the brain Mets went from 1cm to 1.2cm, pseudo progression and given the green light for admission into the hospital on 1/8/2020. The rest is history.
I have few pics from my 12 days in the hospital. I do have some video of the rigors from the IL-2 TRAE’s. In the day of my TIL infusion 1/15/2020, I remember being told I was the last in this trial and a Press Release was being issued.
https://lnkd.in/gV-UNwXC
I am so grateful TIL saved my life I want to scream it from the rooftops! I also wish I was at ISCT, International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy Europe 2024 to share but maybe next year in 2025.
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