Dr. Mark Hendrixson

01/20/2024

For you Ashley Blankenship,and all our brave patients that experience and understand this like no one else can.

Nobody knows what a cancer patient goes thru mentally unless you were the patient! Everyday from that first moment you hear the words "I'm sorry, you have cancer", until you ring that bell (or so you think) is a battle that you are not prepared for! But they never tell you the AFTER... the AFTER, is the worse part! You are never " your normal" again! Everyday is a fight, everyday is a struggle! Your memory is shot, neuropathy never goes away (nice little side effect), the pain in some cases are worse than during the battle because of the radiation and chemo. It changes you, your mindset, your emotions, your thoughts and fears. You see things differently than before sure, but I promise you that every cancer patient out there prays for how they use to be. Cancer does suck, the battle is the most horrendous battle you can face because no matter your support system, you are alone!! Only those people in that room setting hooked up to a machine can truly know what it's like but then again each person's experience and war is different! There is no manual, no instructions and sadly because no 2 people are the same there is absolutely nobody that knows what your body is doing to you or your mind. So you hide it and deal with what you can and keep moving not for yourself but for everyone who loves you and when you fail to move somedays ( and you will ), it hurts them, so up you go and you hide them emotions and fears again!! You ring the bell and it's over( if your lucky ). But it's NEVER over! That is the saddest part of Cancer, It is NEVER over!

It Sucks With a heavy heart💔and tears 😢 in my eyes, nothing is more painful than trying to smile and remain positive, but after many tests, being poked and prodded, chemo and radiation, the person physically changes and they can suffer with sadness. I know many of you do not give a crap about this message because, the cancer has not affected you. You do not know what it's like to have fought the fight, or have a loved one who leads or has lead a battle against cancer. 💛💗
I ask you a small favor- I know only some of you will do it. If you know someone who has led a battle against cancer, still struggling, or who passed, please make this your status to support, respect, and remember.
💛💗💜💚💛🧡❤️🤎🖤🤍 💙
I have faith that many of my friends and family will copy and paste to their news feed Just wanted to say, I despise CANCER!!!
I'm going to make a bet, that out of my family & friends, less than 7 will take the time to put this on their page.
💕Who Are My 7💕
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜fe

01/15/2024

Our office will be closed today due to hazards road conditions.

10/26/2023

The Cool Cats!

10/25/2023

It’s Halloween Week at UCCC today is Farmer day!

10/26/2022

It’s Pirate Day at UCCC

10/25/2022

Roaring 20’s today at UCCC!

10/24/2022

Day one of our Halloween Week Extravaganza!

10/04/2021

02/15/2021

Our Office will be closed today due to icy road conditions.

09/18/2020

Today was a great day at UCCC!! Our Marsha came back to work today after 3 months! We have sure missed her. Not just for her mad lab skills but because WE LOVE HER!
Welcome back Marsha!!

10/31/2019

🎃HAPPY HALLOWEEN🎃

06/04/2019

“I tell patients that anything is possible, including normal life expectancy. It's nice to put the unknown back into how long we're supposed to live.”

New Lymphoma Drugs Build on BTK Inhibitor Success

May 31, 2019

The optimization of standard therapy, novel drug combinations, and new targets for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia are generating excitement, said Stephen Ansell, MD, PhD, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
After the approval of ibrutinib (Imbruvica, Pharmacyclics and Janssen) for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia in 2015, investigators began looking at other Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors to determine which is the most effective and least toxic, he told Medscape Medical News.
A phase 3, randomized, multicenter, open-label trial is currently comparing ibrutinib with the BTK inhibitor BGB-3111 in more than 200 patients (NCT03053440), said Ansell, who will talk about immunotherapy at the upcoming International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation 2019 Forum in Philadelphia, and is chair of the scientific advisory committee.
Combining agents with ibrutinib also looks "very promising," he said.
Progression-free survival in Waldenstrom's patients was shown to be significantly better when ibrutinib was added to rituximab (Rituxan, Genentech), as previously reported by Medscape Medical News.
Ibrutinib plus venetoclax (Venclexa, AbbVie), a BCL2 inhibitor, is also showing potential, Ansell reported. The oral combination is already approved for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia.
"Other trials in development right now use venetoclax and ibrutinib, sometimes with a proteasome inhibitor," he added.
Researchers are also targeting completely different molecules. A CXCR4 antibody for the CXCR4-mutated population of Waldenstrom's patients is being tested by team from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston (NCT03225716).
Overall, the trend has been to refine chemotherapy so that it is more effective and less toxic and to find novel agents that are highly effective, particularly those that target BTK signaling, Ansell explained.
The chemotherapy-based combination thought to be most effective is bendamustine plus rituximab, but that has yet to be compared with a nonchemotherapy regimen such as ibrutinib plus rituximab, he pointed out.
"One is an abbreviated course of treatment for 4 to 6 months; the second is a lifelong approach where you take it every day forever," he said.
"I joke and ask people: 'How do you like to take off a Band-Aid?' Are you one of the people who like to rip it off or do you like to pull it off slowly? They both have pluses and minuses and both are very effective," he added.
Toxic Older Options

Previous therapies for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia have been effective but poorly tolerated, said Richard Furman, MD, director of the CLL Research Center at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.
"There was a tremendous accumulation of toxicities, especially in the elderly population. Most of these were bone marrow toxicities," said Furman, who will talk about treatments on the horizon at the forum.
Waldenstrom's patients can be especially sensitive to neuropathy, so they "get beaten up very quickly when we use chemotherapy. A lot of the newer agents are so much better tolerated that it's certainly easier to treat patients more effectively and safely," he told Medscape Medical News.
Venetoclax might be key; some patients do extremely well on it for a long period of time, he reported.
Data also look promising for daratumumab (Darzalex, Janssen), a monoclonal antibody that targets CD38 and is approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma in patients who have relapsed, he said.
I tell patients that anything is possible, including normal life expectancy. It's nice to put the unknown back into how long we're supposed to live.
Another drug to watch is acalabrutinib (Calquence, AstraZeneca), a second-generation ibrutinib described as being more selective in targeting alternative kinases (NCT02180724). It is already approved for mantle cell lymphoma, Furman noted.
"It will probably have Waldenstrom's approval in the not-too-distant future," he reported. "The CLL approval will likely be about another 9 months."
Two proteasome inhibitors — ixazomib (Ninlaro, Takeda) and carfilzomib (Kyprolis, Amgen) — both already approved for multiple myeloma, also look promising, he said.
"The problem is that they won't get approval for Waldenstrom's," he explained. "There won't be a pivotal study performed" because of the rarity of the cancer and the cost of the trials. However, there are "good phase 2 data" and "we're comfortable using them."
For more than 2 decades, rituximab has been the most common agent used for the treatment of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. Even with these novel agents being tested, that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, Furman said.
"It works in about three-quarters of patients," he reported, although responses can be "short-lived or not very large."
Life expectancy for Waldenstrom's patients has improved dramatically in the past decade, and the full effect of ibrutinib has yet to be realized, he explained.
"I tell patients that anything is possible, including normal life expectancy. It's nice to put the unknown back into how long we're supposed to live," he added.
New therapies are "looking extremely promising and combinations with ibrutinib are looking stellar," said Ansell.
However, it is not clear whether there will ever be a cure for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, he acknowledged.
"Although patients may do very well for an extended period of time, the goal is to have them get rid of the disease and have it never come back. The story seems to be getting better and better, but we're never done until the story gets to the cure," he added.
Ansell has disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Furman reports being a consultant, researcher, or speaker for AbbVie, Acerta, AstraZeneca, Pharmacyclics, and Janssen.
International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF) 2019 Forum. To be presented June 7 (Furman) and June 8 (Ansell), 2019.

05/22/2019

Scientists say if results can be reproduced in humans, therapy using cannabidiol plus chemotherapy could quickly be adopted to improve lifespan in patients with aggressive pancreatic cancer.

01/17/2019

Good news for folks on the new blood thinners
News > Medscape Medical News > FDA Approvals
FDA Approves Commercial Production for Bleeding Antidote Andexxa

Patrice Wendling
DISCLOSURES January 02, 2019
6 Add to Email Alerts
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a prior approval application that should allow for "broad commercial launch in the United States" of the factor Xa reversal agent andexanet alfa (Andexxa, Portola Pharmaceuticals), the company announced today.
Andexxa (coagulation factor Xa [recombinant], inactivated-zhzo) was approved in May 2018 under the FDA's accelerated approval pathway and is the only agent to specifically reverse the anticoagulation effects of rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Bayer/Janssen Pharmaceuticals) and apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol-Myers Squibb).
Access to the drug, however, was limited to about 40 hospitals, pending approval of Portola's generation 2 manufacturing process.
"It is clear from the response to the Andexxa Early Supply Program that there is significant need for a specific reversal agent that can address life-threatening bleeding associated with the use of the factor Xa inhibitors apixaban and rivaroxaban," Portola President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Garland said in the news release.
"We are pleased to now be able to stock hospitals nationwide and serve all patients in the US who could benefit from the potential lifesaving impact of Andexxa," he said.
Additional details on Andexxa's commercial launch will be provided during Portola's annual corporate webcast, scheduled for 7:00 AM PT January 8.

Cite this article: FDA Approves Commercial Production for Bleeding Antidote Andexxa - Medscape - Jan 02, 2019.

12/05/2018

I saw a young man in the ER in a nearby town this past weekend who was positive for the flu. It is around, and when it gets into the schools, it will be spreading.
There’s a new drug out for the flu. Approved in late October:

“XOFLUZA: The first and only 1-dose oral antiviral for the flu

XOFLUZA is indicated for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in patients 12 years of age and older who have been symptomatic for no more than 48 hours.

In clinical trials vs placebo, new 1-dose XOFLUZA1:

Shortened flu symptoms to just 2.3 days*—helping patients feel better, faster

Targeted the flu at its source to stop viral replication

Was as safe and well-tolerated as placebo†”

2pills, 1 dose, $165.

11/03/2018

Tennessee is the first state to do this, but I bet it won’t be the last.

OK to Give Leftover Chemo Pills to Needy Patients in Tennessee

Online Program Needs Oncology Clinic Partners

Nick Mulcahy
November 01, 2018
0
It's a common scenario: a cancer patient has died, and family members or loved ones ask, "What do we do with these expensive, leftover cancer pills?"

Dr Phil Baker
Or a patient returns to the oncology clinic with a supply of an oral chemotherapy that was not effective and asks the same thing.
In Tennessee, there is a now an answer other than "throw them out" — thanks to a 3-year-long effort led by Phil Baker, PharmD, cofounder and chief executive officer of Good Shepherd Pharmacy in Memphis.
Baker was the catalyst for a change in state law, which now allows any prescription-drug donation repository program to accept donated prescriptions, particularly pricey oral chemotherapies and organ transplant drugs, from individuals..
Baker helped write and enact the law, according to a recent news story published in the Daily Memphian.
Essentially, cancer patients can now pass along their unused oral drugs to other cancer patients who cannot afford them.
The law also allows oncology clinics around the country to donate excess oral chemotherapies to Tennessee-based programs.
"Dr Baker is a great advocate for the underserved in our state," Micah Cost, PharmD, executive director of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, told Medscape Medical News.

"The aim of this law is to get more medications into the hands of people who can't afford them," he said.
Baker explained why the law focuses on expensive oral drugs, such as targeted cancer therapies.
"All the new chemos are coming out as pills, but they cost $30,000 and up for a 1-month supply. With more than 40% of cancer patients passing away, it is a double whammy," Baker said. "Most patients can't afford them, and half are getting thrown away."
As the law was being developed, Baker and colleagues created remedichain.com to manage individual drug donations, which, as of October 24, were allowed in Tennessee. Baker told Medscape Medical News that after just 1 week, they had tallied seven donations of oral chemotherapies worth $100,000.
Additionally, four oncology clinics from other states have contacted Baker about sending donations. The Remedi website provides information on how to make donations from inside or outside of Tennessee.
A Nonprofit Pharmacy With a Vision

Baker's Good Shepard Pharmacy, which was founded in 2015, works in conjunction with remedichain.com. Donated drugs will be given to uninsured, low-income patients who are members of the unique nonprofit pharmacy as well as to patients affiliated with other donation repositories.
Daily life at Good Shepard inspired the new law, said Baker in the newspaper account.
"I would have people come in with a bag of medicine and say, 'My grandpa was on hospice. Now, I have all this medicine. Can you give it to poor people?' " Baker said. "I looked into it, and it was illegal, so I sketched out what the law should look like."
I think this has the potential to really take off. Dr Micah Cost
Baker's Christian faith and vision guide his organization's approach to patients, which is one of service over profit.
"We refuse to accept the corrupt pricing schemes associated with prescription insurance," reads the pharmacy's website, referring to the price inflation that occurs with an insurance-mediated "list" price.
Instead, Good Shepard charges individual members a monthly fee ($40 or less) and provides drugs at "cost," which is the price paid to purchase the drug from a wholesaler. Currently, the pharmacy has more than 1000 members, including families, who generate more than $500,000 in membership fees annually.
Good Shepard has six full-time employees and also operates a free pharmacy technician training program that is mostly filled by single, unemployed mothers.
"We've created a pharmacy model that didn't exist before," summarized Baker in a telephone interview.
Good Shepard accepts members only if the organization can promise savings with a person's existing prescriptions. Typically, members save 60% to 90% on drug costs. They may also receive free drugs, which are donated by manufacturers, says the group's website.
With the new law, the hope and expectation is that individuals will become another major source of donated, free drugs.
"I think this has the potential to really take off," commented Cost, from the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.
He explained that Tennessee passed a law in the mid-2000s known as the Nina Norman Prescription Donation Act, which allowed hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities to donate deceased patients' unused medications.
But legal concerns stymied the good intentions, and the donations never got going. The new legislation opens up the donation process to the general public.
Drugs that are donated must be in the original packaging and must not have surpassed the label's expiration date.
Baker worries that remidichain.com may not endure because of costly overhead. "We need significant donations right out of the gate or we may die on the vine," he said regarding the online initiative.