phillydaughter
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Posts:44
My mom has had 24 nivo treatments. That's 11 months!
She is in the checkmate 153 trial. After 26 treatments the trial calls for randomly assigning patients to continue or "stop and monitor with option continue if progression".
Her main complaint is body aches/arthitis-like and weakness.
can the docs comment on any responses that patient are exhibiting that have been randomized to stop?
Are the responses durable?
My mom's cancer CT SCANS have been unchanged /or slight decrease over the past yr.
Afraid the cancer will start growing if she stops but also hoping if she can get a break she may feel better.
Thank you.
Forums
Reply # - February 9, 2016, 04:31 PM
That's great phillydaughter!
That's great phillydaughter! I'm so glad to hear such positive results for your mom.
If you've listened to the new video blogs on immunotherapy you'll find that safely stopping treatment during regression or stability is a question that's being asked by the researchers. I don't know if you've seen the new video posts on immunotherapy, I'm just now getting through them myself. On this one at minutes 27 and 30 Dr. Atkins talks about the possibility of new methods of treatment including stopping during these good results and having that response remain durable. Here, http://cancergrace.org/cancer-treatments/2016/01/14/io_2015_atkins_curr…
However it's still a new question without an answer of who can be expected to have the durable response off treatment. If you mom's oncologist is comfortable and your mom is comfortable with it then taking a break with close observation is more than appropriate. It's the only way to find out if she's one of those whose immune system still works against the cancer even after immunotherapy stops.
If you remember about maintenance treatment many specialist feel good about not moving into treatment after first line doublet and instead taking a needed break and moving back into treatment when needed is just as good...if the person with cancer is watched carefully with scans and watchful of new or worsening symptoms. That's the thought many most specialist are comfortable with when caring for otherwise healthy people who are responding well.
Let us know which way she goes and best of luck to her moving forward.
Janine
Reply # - February 9, 2016, 07:06 PM
Thank you. I drove down to
Thank you. I drove down to that conference in november. It was so informative.
I will watch the videos again because there was so much info that its worth hearing a second time. Was hopingvthat maybe one of the docs had something to offer about their actual patients' experiences.
I keep telling my mom that she is such a pioneer and the docs are still learning.