Irina
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After Irina’s mother died of cancer, she underwent genetic testing in her late 30s and found out she was positive for a BRCA2 gene mutation. Learn more about Irina’s experiences with cancer risk that runs in families here. Irina is a doctorate-trained scientist with a background in biology and cancer had first-hand knowledge of clinical trials from various “conferences and talks” and felt “very optimistic” that “there is so much that’s happening.” Irina “wanted to” participate in trials and let all her providers know “I would be very willing to participate in anything.” Her genetic counselor sent her “a link to a list” of ‘available trials” and she emailed “one or two places,” thinking she might be a “good control.” However, “they never responded” and it was “kind of anxiety induced” for her. Normally, Irina would be “a little more persistent” but for some reason “couldn’t force” herself “to do that.”
If someone had approached Irina and said, “‘would you like to participate?’ I would’ve said ‘yes.’” Ultimately “nothing was available” and “nobody contacted” her. Irina has relatives who have successfully qualified for clinical trials and still thinks “maybe somebody will still come through and be interested in me” in which case she would be willing.
Irina feels optimistic about long-term gains from clinical trials.
Irina feels optimistic about long-term gains from clinical trials.
Just the greatest expert in cancer and genetics, what would you ask her?
Well, what's, what’s the latest docket, and what are the ready, what is in clinical trials, I guess? Because that's the thing, another thing the general public doesn't really know. For a good reason, because I don't exactly know the percentage of how many treatments or drugs go to the clinical trials and then never end up being available. But I go in, when I worked in cancer and biology, I was, I going to conferences and talks. And you always hear about that, and I felt, always, very optimistic, that if there is so much that's happening, at least a small percentage will go through. And the percentage is small, I know that, but this, it means that it’s work-, you know, all those brains of very talented people, they are all engaged, and eventually something will come out of it. And so I would be interested to know what's there, what.