The story is about your research. How did the movie come to be, as far as your involvement?


Robert Bazell's book is all about the whole development of the drug. I think that the story is about a lot of people who are involved in that, including and most importantly the patients who were involved in the testing of that drug. I think, in that sense, it's a broader story than beyond just me.

How has this drug changed women's lives since its introduction?


Since the introduction of the drug, it's had a dramatic response for the women who respond to it. Not all women respond, but the ones who do seem to do very well, and we now have long-term survivors in this subtype, which we never had before. In Bob's book and in the movie, they talk about a couple of patients who really did very well, who are out now 11 or 12 years with no evidence of the disease. So we think it's been very effective. That's gratifying.

 

How is this movie helping to bring awareness to alternate treatments for cancer?


I think "Living Proof" does a good job of showing patients new things and researching new therapeutic approaches. There's a lot going on in clinical research. Unfortunately, in the world of cancer, maybe 3 to 4 percent of patients go on clinical trials when maybe 20 percent or more are eligible. I think the public being aware of the fact that there are these things out there, testing these new and hopefully effective treatments, is an option. And I think "Living Proof" accurately portrayed that.

 

Do you recommend breast cancer patients signing up for clinical trials?


I think all patients who have breast cancer — all patients who have any kind of cancer — should look at clinical trials. Patients never get anything less than the best available care and frequently get something that may be better, just by virtue of being on a clinical trial and having to be monitored so closely and so carefully. So I think there are a lot of advantages to seriously looking at a clinical trial and participating. And I think that would be a good thing if that came out of "Living Proof."

 

Why do you hope people will watch "Living Proof"?


The positive thing in all of this for me in terms of having "Living Proof" out there is that it's going to give the public a view that there is effective research going on and that they can be participants, both actively and just a step back in terms of support. The portrayal of the patients that got involved in the clinical trial, the portrayal of the advocacy group that got involved on the federal level and at the industry level is accurate, and in that sense, the movie is a real success.