Another "Excuse"
A couple of weeks ago I spoke with a gentlemen who lives half way across the country. He’s relapsed within a few months of taking CHOP plus Rituxan. His doctor is recommending a bone marrow transplant and his insurance has graciously spent over $75,000 in search of a donor. When he asked his doctor about RIT, the doctor told him that RIT would not be a good option because his remission period had been so short.
I’ve heard this "reason" before, although I prefer the term "excuse." There is no evidence whatsoever that short rermission periods after ANY other type of treatment will preclude RIT from working well. In my own case, I never had the luxury of even a day’s remission. My disease was refractory to both CVP and CHOP with Rituxan and I never finished either treatment before my disease returned. Now, four and a half years later, I’m living proof that remission periods don’t predict RIT’s effectiveness.
As a footnote, my entire RIT treatment cost just around $37,000 - half of what this man’s insurance company has already spent on just looking for a donor - and that’s before the treatment has even started! I sometimes wonder why our health care premiums keep rising!
Betsy