At 51 years old, Angela never anticipated she’d be facing metastatic lung cancer. With three stubborn tumors in her left lung and lymph node lesions refusing to respond to treatments, she was running out of options.
“I was originally diagnosed in 2020 with a large mass in my right lung,” Angela said. “We removed the lower lobe of the lung, and I had radiation and chemo.”
Unfortunately, the cancer returned—this time spreading to her left lung. Again, chemotherapy was her best option, but the side effects were brutal.
“Chemo made me exhausted to even walk to my car,” she explained. “It was awful. I lost my hair and my fingernails. I had blisters in my mouth. Everything tasted like cardboard.”
A Referral to BAMF Health
The chemotherapy slowed the growth of Angela’s cancer but didn’t eliminate it. That’s when her oncologist suggested she consider a clinical trial at BAMF Health.
“I couldn’t get on the phone fast enough to come here,” Angela shared. “I wanted to get started right away.”
She’s the first person in the world to participate in the Phase1/2a study of 177Lu-BetaBart, an investigational radiopharmaceutical therapy that targets a protein that is overexpressed across several tumor types, including hers. Her first dose—the day after her 51st birthday.
“Dosing of the first patient in the Phase 1/2a trial of 177Lu-BetaBart marks an important milestone for Radiopharm, as this is the first radiotherapeutic agent from our joint venture with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to enter the clinic,” said Riccardo Canevari, CEO and Managing Director of Radiopharm Theranostics. “177Lu-BetaBart has the potential to become a highly differentiated radiotherapeutic for patients with aggressive advanced solid tumors, and we are grateful to our collaborators and participants in this Phase 1/2a trial.”
“We are honored to administer the first dose of 177Lu-BetaBart in this Phase 1/2a clinical trial,” noted Brandon Mancini, MD, MBA, FACRO, Medical Director at BAMF Health. “As a leading center for radiopharmaceutical therapeutic trials, we appreciate the opportunity to provide this novel, first-in-class radiotherapeutic for the treatment of a variety of advanced refractory solid tumors, while offering exceptional care to our clinical trial participants.”
“I want this research to continue.”
Even though BAMF Health is two hours from her home, she says the drive is worth it to have access to such an advanced facility and groundbreaking clinical trial.
“It’s state-of-the-art,” she said. “I’m so happy this is available as an option—that’s all I can say. Really great team here. I’ve liked everybody I’ve met so far.”
Angela says her family doesn’t quite understand the science behind her treatment, but they are supportive and call her a “star” for being the first patient. She’s hopeful that the experimental therapy will positively impact her, but also knows her participation might benefit future patients even more.
“I’m just lucky. I feel really lucky that this could be a chance to make this better. I really just can’t believe I get to be part of this.”
Learn more about Angela’s clinical Trial: https://www.bamfhealth.com/clinical-trials/#a-9943
