Doxorubicin was used against triple-negative breast cancer. It caused an increase in metastasis to occur in a number of mice. However, they found an option to do this without much issue, providing solid chemo outcomes without lingering metastasis concern.
The first was to add in C3a and C5a inhibitors, and these stopped the Doxorubicin from encouraging metastasis. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find quick information showing this class of medicine was approved for use, so it likely can’t help “immediately,” which is one of the things I look for with our “Take Charge” lists. I guess you could pass on the chemo or take it, knowing you have a definitely chance of metastasis, or consider an immunotherapy with surgery, with or without this form of chemo.
The other opportunity is what the study found, but also wasn’t stated in the write up. Cisplatin seems to have behaved somewhat similar to Doxorubicin before metastasis, but when applied after metastasis, it did far better at reducing the cancer load than Doxorubicin (“…cisplatin at the same setting significantly hindered both the metastatic load and incidence compared to either control or doxorubicin.”).
Again, I’m not a doctor, so do feel free to sanity check what I offer.
There is some hope with an inhibitor applied with Doxorubicin, and knowing a form of chemo helps trigger cancer spread, perhaps surgery, radiation, and/or immunotherapy could be emphasized.
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A timely article for me. We have a surgeon’s appt this afternoon for my ward (former sis in law who is mentally challenged) to see what kind of surgery for breast cancer in her left breast. Getting biopsy tomorrow on the other one because they have found something there also. She is almost 61 y.o. but mentally a naive teenager...sigh Prayers welcomed for MJ!
Two red flags.
No information as to what the complement protein inhibitor is.
Animal model.