The Camino de Santiago is an epic 500-mile pilgrimage to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, tracing the base of the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.
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Seven years ago, the trek wasn’t even a fleeting thought for Laura Clausen,
never mind presenting its first steps to her this year. In September, Laura and her
daughter hiked 100 miles of the journey over two weeks. They assisted people in wheelchairs
complete the journey as part of an inaugural, accessible Camino event inspired by
the documentary and true-life story, I’ll Push You.
A melanoma
survivor at age 63, Laura has already steadfastly climbed her own cancer journey-related
peaks, and weathered the ups and downs of countless tests, procedures and treatments.
After her shift one day in 2012 as a surgical technologist in operating rooms
at Stanford Hospital, the Palo Alto resident discovered a grape-sized lump on her
neck. A prompt biopsy and CT scans revealed stage 4 melanoma—the deadliest form
of skin cancer. One week later, she had surgery to remove the tumor in her neck and
several cancerous lesions that had spread to her lungs and armpit region.
“Nothing can prepare you for the initial shock, disbelief, and grief,”
says Laura, who underwent almost immediate courses of chemotherapy, radiation therapy,
three surgeries, and interleukin 2 (a type of immunotherapy) to kill the cancerous
cells. After no regression of her tumor, treatment with ipilimumab—a targeted
therapy for melanoma and other cancers—was also ineffective in stopping the
metastases from spreading.
Her oncologist at Stanford Hospital told Laura about
a new clinical trial for people with advanced melanoma being offered at Sutter’s
California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC). Study participants in the trial would receive
an investigational, targeted immunotherapy called nivolumab to treat their cancer.
At that time, CMPC was the only site in Northern California offering the trial.
“I had never dreamed that something so deadly could be happening to
me,” says Laura. “I had exhausted all treatment options. Enrolling in
the clinical trial presented a way for me to have some semblance of control, with
the hope and proactive stance to reprogram my life in 10-day increments with each
infusion.”
After similar clinical trials of the drug across the
U.S. had positive results, nivolumab was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in 2014 for the treatment of melanoma. Marketed under the brand name Opdivo®,
the drug’s tumor-shrinking effects prompted researchers worldwide to study it
in other cancers, and similar FDA approvals followed over the next four years for
treating cancers of the lung, colorectum, liver, bladder, and kidney, as well as Hodgkin’s
lymphoma.
“Targeted and immunotherapies offer exciting potential
in improving outcomes for our patients,” says David Minor, MD, who enrolled
Laura into the first clinical trial of nivolumab at CPMC. “We are committed
to leading research that helps guide and inform the treatment path for patients like
Laura whose cancers have been unresponsive to standard-of-care approaches.”
Dr. Minor, Associate Director of CPMC’s Center for Melanoma Research and Treatment,
is known nationwide for leading clinical trials of immunotherapy and targeted therapies
for advanced and metastatic cancers.
Collaborating with CPMC oncologist
and melanoma expert Kevin Kim, MD, Dr. Minor was stunned by Laura’s response
to treatment. “After one year, Laura’s tumors disappeared. Because of
the success of the drug nivolumab in treating Laura’s cancer and the cancer
of other patients like her, the data from this trial led to FDA approval of the drug
in 2014.
Since then, nivolumab has been approved for eight additional
types of cancer, and has been life-saving for thousands of individuals,” says
Dr. Minor. CPMC was a trial site for the pivotal study of nivolumab and was one of
the top enrolling sites to the trial across Northern California.
Laura
has remained symptom-free since 2014 and her tumors have continued to shrink. She
comes to CPMC’s Pacific Heights campus for infusions of the drug every two weeks,
and Dr. Kim monitors her response to therapy.
Laura has complemented her
treatment with lifestyle changes including stress reduction, meditation, physical
activity and dietary modifications. Reading positive affirmations daily and books
such as Kelly Turner’s Radical Remission, The Nine Key Factors That Can
Make a Real Difference have been a game-changer along the way.
“The
most significant factor for me has been a desire to help others and to share my story,”
says Laura. “When there is meaning in your life, you become full of peace overflowing
to every aspect of your life and opening up endless possibilities.” Seven years
ago, a clinical trial was one possibility that presented itself. Now, she has already
seen the beautiful vistas of the Camino de Santiago.