5 years on ibrutinib (IMBRUVICA)

[DrLV]

Good news:

drlaverne.blogspot.com/2017...

[Justasheet1]

Dr. I always follow your posts. I'm very happy for you.

Jeff

[PlanetaryKim]

Wonderful! Congrats!

[cllady01 Former Volunteer]

Congrats on your milestone. And, thank you for your efforts toward drug payment parity for Medicare patients with cancer.

[DrLV in reply to cllady01]

I think drug parity is one of the most difficult missions I have had to push. Cancer treatment is cancer treatment whether it is through the veins or in the mouth. What we need more of on this earth is a thing called common sense. LOL.

[AmericanRonin]

Slay that dragon!

[DrLV in reply to AmericanRonin]

Wave HELLO to my relatives in Japan. LOL. I am half Japanese and half German -- a regular rice schnitzel!

[AmericanRonin in reply to DrLV]

My 7-year-old son is half-Japanese, one-eighth German, one-eighth Scottish, and one-quarter Italian!

[Bubnojay]

Thank you for sharing your inspiring journey DrLV.

Huge congratulations the power of our minds and the refusal to be beaten is a powerful thing.

Hope our community members currently struggling with their diagnosis read and take heart.

Long may you be an A1 blogger.

Bubnjay1

[DrLV in reply to Bubnojay]

The mind is a powerful tool when dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Sometimes in life attitude is the only thing we have control of.

[newyork8]

So your immumogloblins improved on Ibrutinib? Is it clear that Ibr typically improves immune function? Thank you and best wishes!

[DrLV in reply to newyork8]

An article from The Journal of Clinical Investigation (J Clin Invest. 2017. doi:10.1172/JCI89756) written by M.Long et. al (2017) is titled "Ibrutinib treatment improves T-cell number and function in CLL patients". It is worth a read.

jci.org/articles/view/89756...

[gemit2000]

just discovered you and your blog and read your "CLL bio". Congrats on your pioneering and your anniversary as we all move toward a time when non-myelosuppressive approaches to CLL can become potentially potent enough (omnipotent?) to render the dragon impotent - enough to keep that MRD negative status even after ending Tx. Continued good health and positive results toward becoming MRD negative.

[DrLV in reply to gemit2000]

I want MRD negative for all CLL patients. Thank you for your kind words.

[mgh348]

Congrats and best wishes. Love your graphic used on the T-shirts!

[DrLV in reply to mgh348]

Thank you. Pharmacyclics made t-shirts with my painting on the back for their employees who participated in a cancer run. My painting is hanging in their lobby in California.