October 1, 2020 – Today I started a new treatment regimen: immunotherapy. For those of you following my blog, a lot has happened since my last post (
The Verdict Is In). Needless to say, we’ve taken a new path in my melanoma journey; hence, the title of this post.
A Quick Recap
After confirmation that melanoma had spread to my right adrenal gland, we were faced with a couple of options: remain on Gleevec and receive radiation therapy or try something new – immunotherapy (described below).
A New Twist
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| Waiting on treatment. |
Initially, we opted to try radiation therapy. The idea was to target the adrenal gland, which would be – we assumed – less invasive that starting an entirely new regimen. After meeting with the radiation oncologists and consulting with some other folks, we decided against that route. There were too many outcome variables and too many negatives (potential damage to surrounding tissue and organs).
We just couldn’t get comfortable with that option.
Cabin in the Woods
Up until we left on our Blue Ridge vacation (see Facebook), we continued to struggle with our first option. Several online consultations, emails with others in the melanoma community, and, simply, time to reflect brought us to a new decision: no radiation therapy, stop the current oral chemotherapy, and start immunotherapy once we returned from vacation.
I feel good about the decision. Vicki feels better about the decision to go with immunotherapy. And our oncologist assures us that if immunotherapy doesn’t work, we can always go another route.
Immunotherapy Explained
According to the American Cancer Society, immunotherapy medicines stimulate a person’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively. Several types of immunotherapy can be used to treat melanoma.
Immunotherapy medicines are given intravenously, so that’s another turn in my treatment. Today, I started Keytruda (pembrolizumab), which will help my body fight the melanoma without destroying any existing, healthy (normal) cells.
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| A new turn in my journey. |
What About Your Lungs?
Another positive aspect of our decision is that Keytruda will also fight the tiny melanoma tumors in my lungs. There’s no guarantee that they will be completely gone, but our hope is that they continue to stay small, or even shrink a little more.
Thanks, Again
Thanks, once again, for your thoughts and support. We truly appreciate it. As my treatment journey continues, there will likely be more frequent updates.
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| Everyone should have a view like this. |
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Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis. No set schedule. So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you.
September 12, 2020 – Bottom-line: melanoma has spread to my right adrenal gland.
While, initially, this news was distressing, it didn’t come as a complete shock. All summer, we’ve been wondering what caused the sizable blood mass in and around my adrenal gland (see Doctor Doctor…). Now we know. Melanoma some how made its way to another part of my body.
Frankly, since early June, I’ve expected this outcome. It’s the reality of living with cancer.
Now, some good news
With this sad news comes several positive developments. First, the PET scan (see The Waiting…) was negative for any additional cancer spread. That’s important because we want to keep the cancer contained as much as possible. In other words, right now, only two places inside my body have malignancy – my lungs and my right adrenal gland.
Second, the metastases around my adrenal gland, according to biomarker testing, contain the same genetic mutation (cKit) as the tumors in my lungs. That’s also important because we’re only dealing with one type of cancer (again, see The Waiting…).
Which leads to another (hopefully) positive development…we will continue my current treatment regimen – daily oral chemotherapy medicine (Gleevec) – with a new component: radiation therapy to tackle the adrenal gland.
More details to come
This post will be short and sweet. Many things are coming together even as I write this. I’ll provide more details in a follow-up post (Another Twist, Another Turn).
This is yet another twist and another turn in my melanoma journey. I’m confident the journey will continue for many years to come.
Finally, thanks!
I want to thank all of you who have made this journey with me. Your thoughts, your prayers, and your concerns are greatly appreciated. I’m absolutely humbled by it. Please focus your thoughts and prayers on Vicki, Emily, and Zach as they have been my guiding light in this crazy storm. In addition, prayers would be appreciated for my dad, my sister, my sister-in-law, and my entire extended family.
Thank you.
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| A thoughtful gift from Vicki’s true friends. |
Note: If you want to leave a comment, just choose “Anonymous” from the Profile Selection drop down bar right below the Comment box. (It’s the very last choice.) Sorry for any confusion.
Also, please make sure you leave your name or sign-in somewhere in your comment. Thanks.
Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis. No set schedule. So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you.
