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About to start neoadjuvant therapy.
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About to start neoadjuvant therapy.

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › About to start neoadjuvant therapy.

  • Post
    • March 9, 2019 at 7:11 pm
    Lucygoose
    Participant

      I’ve decided on doing Dr. Lowe’s clinical trial at Emory Winship. 

      I’ll have pretreatment testing performed next week and my first infusion of ipi/anti-SEMA4D (pepinemab, Vaccinex) the week after as neoadjuvant.   There will be another neoadjuvant infusion 3 weeks after the first.  Three weeks after infusion #2 I’ll have neck dissection to remove the enlarged lymph node and the remaining lymph nodes in the rt cervical basin.  After I heal from surgery i will receive nivo as adjuvant therapy for a year.

       
      I had a second opinion at MD Anderson.  Dr. Tawbi’s nivo/anti-LAG 3 trial looks very promising and I was very tempted to go there.   As with all of these studies it is a handful of patients thus far and I’m not sure the statistical power is there to say it’s better than the neoadjuvant therapy at Emory.  I live in Atlanta and for my first line treatment I want to be home. 

      I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

      Lucy
      Stage 3B, enlarged rt cervical lymph node, primary unknown.

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    • Replies
        • March 9, 2019 at 8:07 pm
        BrianP
        Participant

          Good luck Lucy.  Sounds like a good plan.  Hope it's your first and last treatment!

          • March 9, 2019 at 9:29 pm
          Linny
          Participant

            It sounds like you have a good plan in place. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well for you. You made a good choice to stay closer to home.

            Those of us who have had groin and axillary lymph nodes removed are at risk for a condition called Lymphedema, which is swelling/fluid retention in the arm or leg nearest to the removed lymph nodes. It's managed with lymph masssage and compression garments. What's the scoop on that for those of you who have had lymph nodes removed from your neck? Are you not prone to this due to the location of these nodes? I'm just curious.

             

              • March 9, 2019 at 9:34 pm
              Lucygoose
              Participant

                I am curious as well and have that on my list for the next visit! If no ine answers I’ll let you know what they say   

                 

                • March 10, 2019 at 12:46 am
                Edwin
                Participant

                  I had a sentinel lymph node biopsy in August 2014 at the Minnesota Mayo Clinic.   One lymph node in my neck was removed.  It seemed to be free of cancer, but the next day it was found to have melanoma. I returned to the Mayo Clinic and had 14 more lymph nodes removed from my neck.  None had cancer.   I had a surface sore on my neck off and on for 2 years and 5 months.  In April 2018 melanoma was found in a lymph node under my left jaw.  The surgeon I consulted did not want to remove that cancer due to my previous neck surgery.  Instead I received radiation to that tumor.   In 2014 removing all lymph nodes in an area was standard treatment.

                • March 10, 2019 at 3:04 am
                lkb
                Participant

                  I had 16 lymph nodes removed from my right neck in August 2018 (second surgery to that area). Have since had recurrence beneath the scar, but no lymphedema.

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