Good Results From Two Months of Revlimid

In two months, the largest of several mantle cell lymphoma tumors in my chest shrunk from the size of a large egg, down to that of a dime. The dignified, reserved Dr. Thomas Witzig at Mayo Clinic exuded, "This is awesome! It doesn't get any better than this." He considered the amount of shrinkage my tumors showed (all little ones gone, and the big one just "debris,") as showing the activity of Revlimid at its best. PET scan's Standardized Uptake Value went from 13+ in Feb., to immeasurable in April. He plans to use the two PET/CT scans of mine in the major research paper he will author on the 211 relapsed MCL patients who took Revlimid as a single agent. I assume this paper will be a major basis on which the FDA makes its decision whether or not to approve the use of Revlimid for treating relapsed MCL.

In my case Revlimid may have been helped a bit by my use of Xango, the tropical juice mangosteen, during the last two weeks before my April PET scan. This juice's action is said to be anti-inflammatory more than anti-oxidant.

I am now taking my third 21-day supply of Revlimid.. My next scan will be in two months, meaning early June. I am finding that the disruptive effects of Revlimid on my digestive system seem to be cumulative. It was more gentle in rounds 1 & 2.

Dennis Gibson, Ph.D.