Please take the time to read this post, because I do consider it important.
After Olive78, friend of an advanced cancer sufferer, posted yesterday, it made me realise, that with ever more media coverage of DCVax and NWBO, there will be a continual increase in concerned friends and relatives of sufferers desperately seeking reliable information on the new therapies that might offer hope. Many may visit Message Boards, such as this one. This is essentially a public forum, and I think it behoves all of us, to hold this in mind.
References to 'life-threatening' or 'near death' adverse events should only be used with careful consideration, and not at all when they are erroneously attributed to DCVax.
In Abstract 2499, it states:-
'Two patients experienced drug-related toxicities'
Now I have never heard DCVax described as a drug. I take this reference to mean that a drug therapy or therapies that the two patients received before or during the trial had caused the adverse event.
I accept that there is some ambiguity in the statement. These patients may have had these adverse events WITHOUT DCVax administration, or there may have been an adverse interaction between the drug and DCVax.
The way I read it, Direct, certainly as a monotherapy, has NEVER BEEN THE CAUSE OF ANY GRADE 3/4 EVENTS.
It is a great shame, because we are missing the really, really positive data in the abstract.
At all three dose levels, the Maximum Tolerated Dose was never reached, and there were no Dose-Limiting Toxicities. This is really heartening and encouraging.
This leads me to conclude that on all available evidence so far Direct is FUNDAMENTALLY SAFE AND NON-TOXIC.
It is also irresponsible to throw about a term like SIRS, unless it is used carefully and accurately.
Take this sentence from post 32642:-
'According to Management, almost all of the patients get SIRS. But one was a grade 3 and one grade 4, which is one grade below death and is graded as a life threatening AE.'
THOROUGHLY INACCURATE AND MISLEADING, AS WELL AS REPREHENSIBLE AND IRRESPONSIBLE.
Linda talked about flu-like symptoms and a temperature raised by up to two degrees. This is NOT SIRS. SIRS requires a temperature raise of more than two degrees AND at least one other of the diagnostic indicators.
You might think that this is a minor technical distinction. It is not. A lay person seeking reliable information, might be alarmed by a reference to SIRS, perhaps having some awareness that SIRS (at higher grade) can be very serious.
These matters have sufficiently concerned me, that I have e-mailed the Company, to make them aware that such terminology is being casually used on this forum, and inaccurately attributed to DCVax.
I have suggested that, as far as possible within the protocols, the Company gives as much explicit detail at forthcoming Conferences, regarding Adverse Events, so that any possible further misinterpretation is avoided.
Thankyou