The Latest Adventure in Celebrity Cancer

This morning I had the television on in the background when some sports show came on. I was busy so I didn't turn it off. First there was a story about Half Moon Bay and the surfers of Mavericks, which didn't do much for me (though it generates some impressive pictures), but then the show turned to a story about an NBA broadcaster who was battling leukemia. 

I'm not much of a basketball fan so I didn't recognize any of the names, but I'm always curious about how cancer is presented so I did stop and watch. The reporter gave a rundown on his basic story, with lots of interviews. The guy was diagnosed with leukemia, treated with chemo combined with a bone marrow transplant from his son, and declared cancer free. That lasted a day. Then he received an experimental chemo treatment -- which, at fourteen days of 24/7 chemotherapy, sounded really horrific -- followed by a second bone marrow transplant. And now he's currently queued up for the third round.

All good. All normal. But then came a bit at the end when the host of the show asked a few follow-up questions of the reporter. This is when it got interesting.

The host asked the reporter specifically about the experimental treatment, wondering if anyone suffering from leukemia could receive the same treatment. Well, no, says the reporter. It seems our NBA broadcaster didn't "qualify for the program," but his wife, who "had experience with the medical supply industry," told the doctors that they didn't want the program they just wanted the drug. So he was given the experimental drug.

Now I could have this completely wrong, but it seems like we have an experimental treatment undergoing a clinical trial to secure FDA approval. If so, there's a protocol with inclusion an exclusion criteria defining who's allowed to participate. Our broadcaster didn't qualify, so he couldn't be part of the trial, but they gave him the drug anyway. FDA rules will allow for that in certain circumstances. 

 

But here's my question: How many people who didn't meet the enrollment criteria but weren't celebrities were similarly given the treatment off protocol? I have no real idea, but my guess is not many. 

It's good to have resources.