Valley man leans on faith, clinical trial treating aggressive lung cancer

EDINBURG — Nothing really gets Omar Lopez down.

The 72-year-old from San Isidro is an affable and optimistic man who’s always smiling. So you’d understand why although Lopez’s life took an unexpected turn when a radiologist and his physician found a tumor in his lung, he wasn’t worried about a thing.

Lopez was diagnosed with extended-stage small cell lung cancer after getting a chest scan in September. It’s an aggressive cancer that would concern anyone. And while he is taking it seriously, Lopez believes his faith in God and in a new clinical trial he’s undergoing will see him through the adversity.

Speaking with The Monitor at DHR Health on Monday, where he’s undergoing the trial, Lopez said he had been sent to a pulmonologist who conducted an endoscopy where he removed some of the tumor that was causing blockage in one of his airways.

He explained this after excitedly attempting to show The Monitor a video of him conducting a TV interview. Lopez seemed proud and even though the interview with the newspaper lasted a whole four minutes, much was learned about the man from his positivity alone.

This endearing outlook on life is just what the doctor ordered — that and this particular clinical trial, which is testing the effects of a new medication for extended-stage small cell lung cancer called Serplulimab.

“I was fortunate enough and blessed to have been selected to be part of a clinical trial of a new drug,” Lopez said Monday, adding that he received his first dose of the medication one week ago.

According to Dr. Jose Cruz, medical oncologist and hematologist at DHR Health, the Serplulimab and treatment process are similar to their current standard form of treatment for small cell lung cancer, which includes the medication along with chemotherapy.

Serplulimab is a monoclonal antibody that works against the “programmed cell death protein 1” or PD-1 receptor, “which had a better anti-tumor effect because of the absence of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity,” according to the National Library of Medicine.

Although the treatment is paired with chemotherapy the medication will also be given to the patient on its own every three to four weeks.

“What this trial is trying to do is trying to assess whether the new drug that we’re offering is better than the standard of care,” Cruz said, adding that the medication has been proven to work in other countries but has yet to be FDA-approved in the U.S.

The conventional treatment for this type of cancer, according to Cruz, is chemotherapy paired with immunotherapy, a medication that boosts one’s immune system to help fight the cancer.

Cruz explained that on average those with the cancer end up living about a year with this traditional type of treatment.

Lopez explained that his scans had shown that he has three tumors with one on his lung, another on his liver and one on the left side of his throat.

Throughout the trial he will be attending four sessions of the medication paired with chemotherapy and then rest for 21 days before repeating the process.

He explained that this will be a part of his routine until February.

The trial also provides access to more than the medication but also imaging and some workup.

“The trial will go on for as long as the patient derives any sort of clinical benefit from the medication,” Cruz said.

Lopez explained that after his first six weeks on the treatment he will be visiting Cruz for a follow-up CAT scan to see the effects of the treatment.

Throughout the rest of the trial, Cruz explained that he will be evaluating the progress of treatment every three months.

“Positive … it’s rapid-growing but it’s very curable so I feel real positive about it,” Lopez said, adding that nothing has changed in regards to his physical capabilities, noting that he still drives around, for instance.

Although Lopez is currently the only patient participating in the clinical trial at DHR Health, Cruz explained that people diagnosed with extended-stage small cell lung cancer would be eligible for the trial.

For more information about the clinical trial call DHR Health Hematology Oncology at (956) 362-2250.

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