Dan, a Cleveland lawyer, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer just before his 41st birthday. Now 45, he is in complete remission and no longer undergoing treatment. In a recent interview with CURE, he shared how self-advocacy, research, and clinical trials played a crucial role in his journey.
Recognizing early that chemotherapy would not provide a long-term solution, Dan began exploring other options while his cancer was still responding to treatment. He encouraged patients to ask questions, seek multiple opinions, and use resources like clinicaltrials.gov alongside their oncologists.
“I did two clinical trials,” Dan explained. “The first was an immunotherapy trial combined with a PARP inhibitor—Keytruda and Lynparza—for about two years. The second was an early-stage trial. Both were through Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.”
Dan emphasized that chemotherapy was just the first step. Once he returned to Cleveland and settled into his chemotherapy routine, he and his family started asking his oncologists at the Cleveland Clinic about available trials. They also researched potential options online, focusing on his genetic markers, disease stage, and tumor response. This led them to explore clinical trials at major centers, including MSK and MD Anderson.
Halfway through chemotherapy, Dan’s family reached out to trial teams for more information and requested secondary consultations. After completing clinic onboarding and insurance steps, they were able to gather detailed information, which helped Dan make informed decisions about his next steps.
“The key takeaway is that patients need to advocate for themselves,” Dan said. “Ask questions early: ‘Is this working? What’s next? What can I do?’ Seeking additional opinions is not rude—doctors expect and support it. Different oncologists may have different knowledge, and the more information you gather, the better your chances of finding opportunities your treating doctors may not know about.”
Dan also highlighted clinicaltrials.gov as a valuable resource. While not always easy to navigate, combining it with tools like ChatGPT can help identify potential trials to discuss with your doctors. “I encourage patients to do both—speak with doctors and research trials—to maximize options,” he added.
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