[2023-04-12] The hope of science
I was up early this morning despite a mediocre night of sleep. My throat was scratchy, which had sent me looking for lozenges at 3:00 AM. After a quick breakfast, I planned to drive my daughter to the park and ride and then retreat to my bed.
But first, I ran some errands with my husband, made a cilantro-garlic sauce that we subsequently delivered to my son along with all the fixings for donairs (which Chris had made yesterday), stopped at IKEA to pick up a medicine cabinet, did a couple of loads of laundry, practised Portuguese and French in Duolingo, cleared the deck of snow and debris, made supper, did dishes, plus sundry smaller tasks. I had a surprising amount of energy despite my head cold.
In the middle of these various activities, I read an article by The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), in London, England, about the hope offered to people who take olaparib, a targeted treatment for individuals with mutations in their BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
The article notes that, in 1995, researchers at the ICR uncovered the BRCA2 gene, which—when faulty—increases the risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It goes on to say: "In the decades since, painstaking scientific research into the underlying biology of these cancers—much of which took place in our labs here at the ICR—uncovered their Achilles heel and led to the development of a precision drug called olaparib."
The article tells the story of Sue Vincent, who in 2010 was told that her ovarian cancer had spread and was inoperable. She resigned herself to the possibility that she might have only a few months to live.
But then she was given an opportunity to participate in a clinical trial for olaparib. Sue states:
"My view was that as my prognosis wasn’t particularly good, anything that could enable me to have longer had to be a good thing. I also felt that if I was going to die then I wanted the medical profession to be able to learn from me because of my BRCA mutation. I had two daughters, and I didn’t want them to go through what I was going through."
More than a decade later, Sue is still taking the drug. She says:
"So, for the past 12 years I have been taking olaparib and it has given me my life back. It has enabled me to see five beautiful grandchildren being born and to take an active part in their life. It has enabled me to go back to work and build a significant business for myself. I’ve even been awarded an MBE [Member of the Order of the British Empire] for my work in local government, supporting people with disabilities.
"I’m back doing all the things I did pre-diagnosis. It’s given me a quality of life I could only have dreamed about. My prognosis was so dire that really and truthfully any life was going to be good. This life is very, very good."
I related to Sue's story. I have a mutation in my BRCA2 gene and have been taking olaparib for two years. So far, my CA125, a marker of the presence of cancer in my system, has remained low and steady.
Just as Sue is grateful to the researchers who made olaparib a possibility, I am grateful to people like her who participated in clinical trials for the drug. I'm also grateful to colleagues in Health Canada who reviewed and approved the drug back in 2016. Research, clinical trials and drug approvals—which involve many people—are all precursors to the availability of life-enhancing drugs.
I feel fortunate that research begun many years ago is benefiting me today, giving me a quality of life that might not have been possible years ago. And I feel lucky that the biggest health issue I'm currently facing is a common cold.
