New leukemia drug offers hope for Iowa family and others
A groundbreaking drug, blinatumomab, is transforming leukemia treatment, offering new hope for patients like 4-year-old Madi Seivert
A groundbreaking drug, blinatumomab, is transforming leukemia treatment, offering new hope for patients like 4-year-old Madi Seivert
A groundbreaking drug, blinatumomab, is transforming leukemia treatment, offering new hope for patients like 4-year-old Madi Seivert
When Madi Seivert was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3, her parents worried about her future.
"Cancer is the last word any mom or dad wants to hear," said Ashley Seivert.
Now the Seivert family, who reside in Granger, has new hope thanks to a life-saving drug called blinatumomab. Madi is one of the first children to benefit from this treatment at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines.
"To be given that opportunity, for her to be in the middle of treatment and be given that chance to do that, was incredible," said Ashley Seivert.
Late last year, clinical trials for blinatumomab ended early due to the drug's clear benefits, and it is now standard practice for treating B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer.
"This is the closest that we have ever come to curing leukemia, and I think that's not lost on any of us," said Dr. Wendy Woods, the chief medical officer at Unity Point Health in Des Moines.
Dr. Woods says blinatumomab's success rate in children is unprecedented, with 96 to 97% of patients not having to worry about leukemia again after receiving the drug. Blinatumomab works in combination with chemotherapy but is considered less toxic and does something chemo cannot do.
"It binds to a specific marker on the leukemia cell, and it triggers your own T-cell to engage it and recognize it as being foreign, and then your immune system helps to take care of it," Dr. Woods said.
Patients typically wear a backpack carrying blinatumomab, which is accessed through their port continuously for two 28-day periods. Madi wore her backpack everywhere, including the playground and the library. It hung on a hook near her bed while she slept each night.
"The first few days was a lot of us holding her backpack anytime she got up, like carrying it for her. Oh, don't forget your backpack," said Madi's father, Marty Seivert.
Madi is now in the maintenance phase of her 2 1/2 years of treatment for leukemia, and her hair and energy are returning.
"She looks more like herself. So when she looks in the mirror, I see that smile, and if she is brushing her teeth or brushing her hair, I see that smile, like it's me again," said Ashley Seivert.
Before blinatumomab, 10 out of every 100 children relapsed, but now it's 4 out of every 100.
Woods believes this is the first time she will see a cure in her lifetime, saying, "It changes our hope as doctors for where we are going to be in 10 years."
Blinatumomab is also showing strong results in adults, with a more than 80% success rate. Woods said the ripple effect of this is significant, as it keeps patients out of the hospital and may alleviate the burden on families, who often face job loss due to frequent hospital visits or waiting for transplants.
Madi's parents say blinatumomab has made them more optimistic than ever that she will live a long and healthy life.
"This is her future. This is her survival," said Ashley Seivert.
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