Yesterday, I saw my oncologist at Georgetown for my third evaluation since my diagnosis with advanced metastatic lung cancer last November. That’s when I first started taking a new drug I call Super Catnip (aka Selpercatinib or Retevmo®). I had previously been scanned & evaluated in February, April, and now in July. He said my CT scans had nothing but good news. He had seen my brain scan MRI images, but not a signed report yet that would make it official. He thought the MRI images looked really good to him, with no evidence of any spots in my brain, same as it was last February. Later yesterday evening, I finally saw the signed report from Neuro Radiology. It agreed.
Both CT & MRI images show nothing new is growing in my brain or anywhere else, and the existing tumors in my lung, liver and lymph nodes are steadily shrinking. The spots in my brain seen last November, have vanished.
All very good news. Super Catnip continues to work very well.
Interestingly, I also learned that my oncologist’s group recently started treating a patient with colon cancer with this same drug. It apparently works as well in that disease too. Originally, Super Catnip had been approved by the FDA only in patients with thyroid or lung cancer, and only if their tumors had the mutated form of the epidermal growth factor receptor (called the RET-fusion oncogene). Now it can be used with tumors anywhere as long as the patient’s blood is positive for that mutation. For the very conservative FDA, that is quite a bold move. From my highly opinionated viewpoint, Super Catnip qualifies as a miracle drug.
