For nearly a month, a 72-year-old San Isidro man has been battling an aggressive form of lung cancer.

Omar Lopez has small-cell lung cancer, which has a poor prognosis. He said he’s been a smoker for over 30 years, and he didn’t experience any symptoms prior to the diagnosis.

“I didn't feel nothing. I didn't feel any changes, it was like a silent killer being there,” Lopez said.

Without treatment, small-cell lung cancer patients typically survive less than six months after a diagnosis.

Lopez wasn't ready to give up. He said his doctors told him about a clinical trial for a treatment at DHR Health. He began the trial this week. 

As part of the trial, researchers are seeking to find out if a new drug — Serplulimab — taken with chemotherapy works better than the standard treatment.

Serplulimab is a monoclonal antibody that allows T-cells to more effectively recognize and attack cancer cells.

DHR Health pulmonologist Dr. Federico Vallejo said the trial is a big deal for the entire Rio Grande Valley.

“Before, you would have to go to the big centers at Houston and San Antonio. The fact that we can do that here is extraordinary,” Vallejo said.

Serplulimab has shown positive results in other countries, but still needs FDA approval to be used in the United States.

DHR Health doctors say those who are over the age of 18 who’ve been diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer qualify for the clinical trial.

For more information, contact the DHR Health Hematology Oncology at 956-363-2250.

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