Clinical Trials

Linda

Outline: Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 60s. Linda has not participated in any clinical trials but would be interested if she has a recurrence.
Background: Linda, age 63, is a mother and lives in a Southern city with her husband. She is a Caucasian woman and retired from a career in educational policy to work as an advocate for local breast cancer patients.

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Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer following an annual mammogram in her early 60s.

To learn more, see Linda’s experiences with breast cancer as well as cancer risk that runs in families. Though she “wanted to,” Linda has “not needed a clinical trial” so has not participated in any. Linda works as an advocate for a local organization that supports people living with breast cancer, so though she has not participated in any trials she has found other ways to be involved. Linda sits as a breast cancer patient representative on the board of her local research institute, for a study where “they are working on targeted breast cancer drugs and immunotherapy.”  Through this work, Linda is able “to provide input” on what “eventually, one day, will be a clinical trial or drugs,” work which she feels “blessed to be…part of.”

It has been “important” for Linda to “try to help in that development of a very targeted drug.” Linda knows if “down the road” she was “ever to have a recurrence” it could help her and others in a similar position looking for “targeted hormone therapies.”

 

Linda talks about how participating in a trial now could help her if she has a cancer reoccurrence.

Linda talks about how participating in a trial now could help her if she has a cancer reoccurrence.

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And but I have not, at this point in time I have not needed a clinical trial. But I have, like I said, I wanted to participate because I felt this was important on down the road, if I were to ever have a recurrence. I felt that it would have been important for me to try to help in that development of a very targeted drug.

 

Linda talks about being a patient representative on a research study that will lead to a clinical trial later.

Linda talks about being a patient representative on a research study that will lead to a clinical trial later.

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There has been, OK, this is something I have chosen to do. We have a research institute here that gets a lot of the NIH grants, and they are working on targeted breast cancer drugs and immunotherapy. And they were looking for someone to be on, a patient representative, a breast cancer patient representative to be on their board and to be part of their study. They were looking for five patients to be, and this is an NIH grant. I had to submit my data and I was accepted. And we meet quarterly and I can do it via Skype. And they ask for input and this eventually, one day, will be a clinical trial of drugs that will be very targeted hormone therapies. And so I was blessed to be, I think, part of that. And but I have not, at this point in time I have not needed a clinical trial. But I have, like I said, I wanted to participate because I felt this was important on down the road, if I were to ever have a recurrence. I felt that it would have been important for me to try to help in that development of a very targeted drug.

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