Patient Perspectives: Immunotherapy and Clinical Trial Experiences

John White is retired from the biotechnology/medical device research industry after 33 years of service, with stints in bedside patient monitoring, cardiac care, ophthalmology and finished in flow immunocytometry for development of monoclonal antibodies used in many precision targeted therapies for immune system diseases and all forms of cancer. He is a patient ambassador/advocate for the Cancer Research Institute for the advancement of immunotherapeutics and shares his unique cancer journey with other patients, researchers and doctors across the country. John enjoys classic cars (including his own 1923 Ford T-Bucket Roadster), gardening, and is an avid golfer. He looks forward to sharing his story as an inspiration to others. John is considered an exceptional responder to immune checkpoint inhibitors PD-1 immunotherapy for small cell neuroendocrine differentiation metastatic prostate cancer Stage 4, with currently 8 years of long-term durable clinical remission and no evidence of disease (NED) … one of the many medical miracles.

In 2011, Sunshine Pegues was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. Standard treatment at the time was chemotherapy followed by 35 days of radiation, which burned the skin on her neck and left her in more pain and skeptical about the advice of her health care team. She moved back to her hometown, Seattle, where she enrolled in two clinical trials. The second trial tested nivolumab (Opdivo), an anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, which stopped her cancer from progressing and eventually, caused it to become inactive.

Stephanie Gangi is a poet, novelist, short story writer and essayist living and writing in New York City. Her debut novel, The Next, was published by St. Martin’s Press and her second, Carry the Dog, is published by Algonquin Books. Gangi’s work has appeared in many publications. She coaches writers and is at work on her third novel, The Good Provider.`