Clearing Up Re-Treatment Misconceptions
We have heard from several patients who have been told that re-treatment is not possible after RIT. Much has been written about this to show that re-treatment is indeed possible with either additional radioimmunotherapy, chemotherapy, Rituxan, or stem cell transplants or even bone marrow transplants.
I know a woman who went through chemotherapy about the same time that I did and responded to it as badly as I did. She took Zevalin 3 weeks after me (in 2002). A year later, she needed Bexxar. In December of 2005 she finally had to have a bone marrow transplant and at last is doing fine. Needless to say, her disease was quite stubborn.
Following are two links to articles about retreatment. The first is a summary about retreatment after Zevalin. The second is an article about using Bexxar following a Bexxar treatment.
http://www.electronicipc.com/journalez/detail.cfm?code=39560020050311&cfid=&cftoken
http://patient.cancerconsultants.com/news.aspx?id=35127
There are more articles about re-treatment than these. The important thing to know is that taking RIT does not necessarily close the door to future treatment if that becomes necessary.
Betsy