Patient Stories: Cancer Clinical Trials

The last thing Philip Coldren, 48, expected when he visited his doctor to check out a small lump on the side of his neck, was that he’d be diagnosed with an aggressive and very rare form of lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system). Fortunately, Philip was a patient at The Reading Hospital Regional Cancer Center, where he had the choice of enrolling in a promising new clinical trial for his Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

After complaining of a sore throat to his family doctor, Lawrence Hensley, 59, was referred to Jeffrey Dribben, MD, an ear, neck, and throat specialist at The Reading Hospital and Medical Center.  Dr. Dribben found a growth in Lawrence’s throat, which a biopsy revealed to be stage IV tonsillar cancer. 

When Kitty Levan, 50, felt a lump in her right breast, fear kept her from seeking medical help right away.  She eventually pursued diagnosis at The Reading Hospital Regional Cancer Center, where Kitty was infused with a healthy dose of determination to do “whatever it takes to live.”  That grit motivated her to enroll in two clinical trials for her rare, aggressive form of breast cancer.  It was a decision that may have saved her life.