![]() ![]() I was going to the store at 9 pm to pick up supplies for countless home improvement projects. To address this problem and jumpstart his pituitary gland function, his doctor prescribed the steroid prednisone, which quickly worked wonders, restoring this important hormone in his body. This side effect left John, an active 72-year-old man, facing tremendous fatigue and at risk for other conditions. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates many body functions, including metabolism and the immune response. Immunotherapy helped to control the cancer, but one of the side effects was damage to his pituitary gland, which shut down his body’s natural production of cortisol. Eventually, however, as is usually the case with metastatic lung cancer, additional masses developed on his lungs, hip, and ribcage. His treatment plan started with Keytruda and included 3 rounds of stereotactic body radiation, which kept his cancer at bay for nearly 1 year. And now, this very same drug was being used to treat advanced lung cancer. ![]() Not long after his retirement, the then-new immunotherapy Keytruda ( pembrolizumab) received its trademark out of the unit he had once supervised, as part of the drug’s approval process. Simple Twist of FateĪs the Commissioner of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, John was involved in the review of thousands of applications submitted for the approval of new drugs, including many cancer drugs. The doctors soon found out that the cancer had spread to his blood, which meant that it was metastatic lung cancer. The imaging studies revealed a mass on his lungs, so a biopsy was ordered, which confirmed the surprising diagnosis of stage IV (advanced) non–small-cell lung cancer. Shortness of breath and a lingering cold in the winter of 2019 led to a diagnostic chest x-ray and a CT scan for John Doll of Morrisville, North Carolina, who retired after many years as Commissioner of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a position in which he was involved in reviewing new drugs submitted for approval. ![]()
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