Customer Reviews

Living Proof

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I saw "Living Proof" when it was first shown on Lifetime cable and found it a good portrayal of what reseachers have to go through to get funding for their research. I admire the brave women who at the final stages of their cancer were willing to trust the doctor and give themselves to be in his trial program. As I had just been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, I found this movie full of hope instead of despair at my condition and thank God every day for his research and persistance at getting the funding necessary.

This Lifetime made-for-TV movie is well worth seeing for those who know anyone with stage 4 breast cancer. While the story focuses mostly on the impressive persistence and commitment of Dr. Dennis Slamon to get Food & Drug Administration approval for Herceptin, a revolutionary treatment for stage 4 breast cancer, this tele-drama manages to pack a strong emotional "punch".

The movie portrays the life and/or death plight of the women who undergo Her-2 treatment (short-hand name for the drug), and that's where the story packs its emotional wallop. The accomplished & little known actresses playing these women (Bernadette Peters, Regina King, Amanda Bynes, among others) bring to life the heartbreaking issues that late stage breast cancer victims experience, and those who were included in Dr. Slamon's research.

The angst of the patients and their families is intensified in the movie by 2 factors . Genentech, the drug company that initially funds Dr. Slamon's work, can't seem to sustain their support for his research. The internal friction among their Board members delays Dr. Slamon's progress, and, thus, exacerbates the emotional turmoil for cancer victims and their loved ones. Added to that are the constraints that the FDA trials placed on the availability of the HER-2 drug to women who might have benefitted from the treatment but who were excluded to maintain the integrity of the scientific trials and results.

Those who minimize the dramatic value of made-for-TV productions might give this one a try because of the social importance of the subject matter.

I highly recommend LIVING PROOF.

I am currently receiving Hercepton for HR2+ breast cancer. I had no idea how important the IV medication is until I saw this movie. I believe it should be watched by everyone receiving Hercepton and their families and love ones. Harry Connick, Jr. was great as were the women in the movie. My friend said she cried when she watched it with her daughter. I cried and cried, for about a half hour after the movie was over, because for the first time I realized how lucky and blessed I am to live in a time when this medication is available. This is not fiction. It is a dramatization of real events. It also makes you aware of how important medication trials are and how brave the participants are. I purchased 3 copies to be certain all my loved ones watched.

i was surprised to see a movie about my experience!
when i tell people it's been 5 years since my terminal diagnosis,
they probably think i was misdiagnosed, but here is bernadette peters portraying "me".

how many people get diagnosed with terminal cancer, told there is no cure, + then are cured?!?
i am so grateful i'm among the fortunate living proof that herceptin cures cancer.

i'm going to buy a few of these, to remind me how lucky i am,
+ to show my daughter when she gets older, how i conquered cancer.


thank you for this movie

LIVING PROOF is a biographical account of Dr. Dennis Slamon's discovery and invention of a new class of oncology drugs and, in particular, trastuzumab (HER-2). Trastuzumab is an antibody used for curing breast cancer. First, let us look at the regulatory aspects of this film. Then, let us look at the emotional aspects of the movie.

REGULATORY ASPECTS. The viewer will learn about inclusion criteria for a clinical trial. We learn that a subject must have breast cancer, and that the tumor cells must be HER2 positive. We learn that the goal of Phase I trials is to characterize safety ("side-effects"). We also learn about exclusion criteria from this movie, for example, the exclusion criterion of the study subject having had too many rounds of prior chemotherapy. This movie shows one of the characters being refused entry into the Phase II trial because she failed to satisfy this particular criterion. Also, we learn that funding for any particular clinical trial can be a start-and-stop activity. In this movie, we learn that where GENENTECH decided not to fund the study, another company, REVLON stepped in and provided money. Another take-home lesson, is that clinical trials require regulatory approval from the FDA, and that clinical trials need to be designed by physicians who actually have experience in trial design (just because you are a doctor who discovers a new drug does not mean that you have the slightest clue in trial design). The movie shows Dr. Shamon being told that "his" clinical trial will be taken over by physicians who actually have experience in trial design. Also, relating to concept of regulatory approval, we see a cancer victim who had been approved for entry into a Phase III trial, begging a receptionist to be given drug right away, "I only have a day to live, I need the drug right now, I can't wait until next week." We learn of the concept "quality of life," which is an issue for most clinical trials for chronic, debilitating diseases. Quality of life in these clinical trials is always measured by a special questionnaire called, "Health Related Quality of Life instrument." LIVING PROOF teaches us all of these lessons. These lessons, as taught by LIVING PROOF, can be understood by children of the ages 8-12, by teenagers, and by adults.

EMOTIONAL ASPECTS. To cut to the chase, this movie requires a collection of Kleenex tissues or handkerchiefs. We see various examples of emotional dispair, where is woman is being denied entry into a clinical trial, because she does not meet the entry criteria (inclusion criteria). The result is that she dies leaving behind a family and children (Kleenex #1). Another character turns down a marriage proposal, because she believes that she will eventually die of her breast cancer (Kleenex #2). There are other scenes of emotional triumph, which also require the handkerchief. One of the characters has reached the point of despair, and decides to live out her final days in Mexico, sipping margueritas on a relaxing beach, instead of vomiting from chemotherapy. But then, she gets persuaded to enter Dr. Slamon's trial, and at the end of the movie, she is declared totally cancer-free (Kleenex #3, #4, and #5).

THE BAD GUY. One unusually interesting theme in this story concerns an employee at Genentech known as "Reinhart." He is portrayed as the bad guy in this movie, apparently because of his expertise in trial design, in contrast to Dr. Slamon's lack of expertise in this skill. Even though it is not certain why "Reinhard" is the bad guy, any viewer of this movie will sense that something good has occurred when Reinhard is taken off of the trial. While I do not know if "Reinhard" corresponds to a real person, it is often the case that, in management, people with Reinhard-like characteristics are encountered. This particular Reinhard had characteristics that were both good and bad.

SUMMARY. The movie sticks to events relating to the various phases of this drug -- research, funding, regulatory approval, enrollment, adverse drug reactions ("side effects"), trouble getting enough patients enrolled, and efficacy. The movie does disclose some of the outside activities of all the characters, for example, a courtship between an African-American woman and a Caucasian man (happy ending), Christmas party not attended by dead mother, and fact that Dr.Slamon did not have time to be a devoted "family man," that is, to attend school functions of his daughter. But these outside activities merely act as a cementing substance to the "bricks" of this movie, namely, the steps required to get regulatory approval. The movie emphasizes the issue of femininity, for example, where the soundtrack plays Dionne Warwick's, "I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER," at which point the film dwells on each cancer victim, that is, on her activities in grooming, lipstick, womanly shoes, skirts, and so on.

CRITICISM. I only have one critisism. The movie does not mention that Phase II trials and Phase III trials are usually randomized (placebo versus study drug). However, it is quite possible that the HERCEPTIN clinical trials only contained one arm (study drug only). But it is also possible that the movie failed to mention randomization, in order not to scare away the viewers of this movie (to scare them away from participating in clinical trials). FIVE STARS for LIVING PROOF.

This movie is TERRIFIC. Not only is the story deeply moving, and very front page as the battle to cure breast cancer continues, but the cast, writers, and directors make this a very satisfying, totally feel-good experience. Harry Connick, Jr. is a favorite performer of mine, but he really crowns his acting efforts with his portrayal of Dr. Slamon. The rest of the cast also does a superb job of presenting this TRUE HERO's story in such a professional and effective way. If only there were MANY MOVE movies like this one--the theatres would be packed again. The Special Features are extremely enjoyable. We get to know the cast and their take on the various people portrayed. I DID purchase this item from Amazon.

As a surviver of cancer I felt "deeply touched" by how hard a investigation to cure others is. And THIS medicine as been ONE of many ways GOD has saved my Life !

A true to life story of different wemon who suffer from breast cancer and a great story of the doctor who found a cure. Harry does a great job acting as the doctor. A truely inspiring story of triumph and hope.

This movie was wonderful. It is especially poignant for those of us who are HER 2 positive because many of us would not be alive today without the the tremendous research and tenacity of the scientists involved in the creation of Herceptin. Although it took a lot of work to convince Genentech, it certainly put them in a better light in that they finally did take a chance on Herceptin. (diagnosed 12/2001, HER2 positive, inflammatory breast cancer, stage IV)

Herceptin saved my life. This movie documents big Rx company letting 140,000 women die because the profit margin was low. Money is more important than lives.