ANNOUNCER: Dr. Rosenoff had had good results with other patients with similar problems, with a drug called octreotide, or Sandostatin. And he offered it to Mr. Patterson.
BOB PATTERSON: Well, I remember it was a great relief. He said, "I think we have something that can do that. It can handle your problem." So we tried it.
STEPHEN ROSENOFF, MD: How octreotide works is it has anti-secretory and anti-exudative properties, so it not only interferes with a secretion and exudation in the gut so it reduces this fluid load. Most of the fluid resorption occurs in the small bowel and the beauty of the octreotide, or Sandostatin, is that it slows both the small bowel as well as the large bowel.
ANNOUNCER: Bob Patterson is now taking monthly injections of a long-acting version of Sandostatin called Sandostatin LAR. He still has problems with diarrhea, but they are much more manageable.
BOB PATTERSON: I mean, I still have a problem in that whenever I eat, I have to go to bathroom within an hour or maybe from an hour to two hours after eating; I'm in the bathroom three or four times. But at least it's solid now, which means I can hold it or can control it a little bit where I couldn't before.
ANNOUNCER: Luckily, Mr. Patterson has been with his company long enough to have his choice of assignments.
BOB PATTERSON: Even now, I'm a little selective in that one of the nice things-we do a lot of senior citizens. They want to stop every two hours, so that's good. You get some sports teams and they don't want to ever want to stop. They're all college kids and they think they should drive for seven hours without going to the bathroom. So if I think they're going to be like that, I don't do the trip.
ANNOUNCER: Bob Patterson is back at work, with his diarrhea under control. He remains in good health.
STEPHEN ROSENOFF, MD: Mr. Patterson is now almost three years out since his initial operation and he remains in a complete remission, that is, there's no sign of cancer or recurrence.
