Deciding on Treatment

I'm so sorry you have to be here, but welcome to this board – you've come to the right place to get lots of good info from a host of people who have been there before.  It would be useful to get better advice if you could fill in the profile for your husband including details of the pathology – how deep, where, etc?  There are lots of posts on the board about these medications, if you put in a search for them. 

You'll soon see that there are mixed views particularly on Interferon, with some quite adamantly against it.  However, just remember that you need to make the choice based on what's right for your husband, not what's right for anyone else.  Listen to your drs and read all you can to make up your own mind and then don't look back.

I've recently started peg-interferon treatment and am having very few side effects so far.  Good luck with your choice and I wish you and your husband all the best,

Elisa

I'm so sorry you have to be here, but welcome to this board – you've come to the right place to get lots of good info from a host of people who have been there before.  It would be useful to get better advice if you could fill in the profile for your husband including details of the pathology – how deep, where, etc?  There are lots of posts on the board about these medications, if you put in a search for them. 

You'll soon see that there are mixed views particularly on Interferon, with some quite adamantly against it.  However, just remember that you need to make the choice based on what's right for your husband, not what's right for anyone else.  Listen to your drs and read all you can to make up your own mind and then don't look back.

I've recently started peg-interferon treatment and am having very few side effects so far.  Good luck with your choice and I wish you and your husband all the best,

Elisa

Elisa's response is spot on.  First, more information would be helpful.  You say he had normal PET scan and sentinal node biopsy.  If his sentineal node was clear, that suggests he is Stage I or Stage II.  Yet the diagnosis is metastatic melanoma.  I wonder what that means, if it hasn't spread to the lymph nodes or to other organs?

If he is Stage I or Stage II, one option in either case is to take no treatment at all.  In fact, that is what a lot of people do, but based on the details.  If the primary tumor was particularly thick or had a high mitotic rate or had invasive strands, etc. then the balance tips a bit toward doing some type of treatment.

The long-term data on interferon are that in a large group of people over a number of years it shows no improvement in survival statistics and some small improvement in the delay before any recurrence (for those patients who do have a recurrence).  I know people, some of whom are active on this board, who swear that interferon saved their life.  And that may very well be the case.

Yervoy has been shown to extend life in patients with advanced Stage IV melanoma.  They are testing it now to see if it has benefit for people whose melanoma was caught earlier.  A number of researchers believe that this is where the greatest benefit will be found.

You will likely get better advice if you can come back with more detail.  Regardless, you will find a lot of information and support here.  I am sorry you and your husband are having to go through this, but can assure you that there is no better group with whom to walk this journey than the people you will find on this board.

Tim–MRF

Elisa's response is spot on.  First, more information would be helpful.  You say he had normal PET scan and sentinal node biopsy.  If his sentineal node was clear, that suggests he is Stage I or Stage II.  Yet the diagnosis is metastatic melanoma.  I wonder what that means, if it hasn't spread to the lymph nodes or to other organs?

If he is Stage I or Stage II, one option in either case is to take no treatment at all.  In fact, that is what a lot of people do, but based on the details.  If the primary tumor was particularly thick or had a high mitotic rate or had invasive strands, etc. then the balance tips a bit toward doing some type of treatment.

The long-term data on interferon are that in a large group of people over a number of years it shows no improvement in survival statistics and some small improvement in the delay before any recurrence (for those patients who do have a recurrence).  I know people, some of whom are active on this board, who swear that interferon saved their life.  And that may very well be the case.

Yervoy has been shown to extend life in patients with advanced Stage IV melanoma.  They are testing it now to see if it has benefit for people whose melanoma was caught earlier.  A number of researchers believe that this is where the greatest benefit will be found.

You will likely get better advice if you can come back with more detail.  Regardless, you will find a lot of information and support here.  I am sorry you and your husband are having to go through this, but can assure you that there is no better group with whom to walk this journey than the people you will find on this board.

Tim–MRF

My Husband is 42 and currently doing the Interferon Alpha 2b treatments.  So far the side effects have not been bad for him.  He does get tired and irritable but for the most part is ok.  His treatment schedule is 4 days one week then off for two weeks and repeat for six months.  He is half way through treatment now.

Best of luck with your decision and treatment.  My thoughts are with you!

My Husband is 42 and currently doing the Interferon Alpha 2b treatments.  So far the side effects have not been bad for him.  He does get tired and irritable but for the most part is ok.  His treatment schedule is 4 days one week then off for two weeks and repeat for six months.  He is half way through treatment now.

Best of luck with your decision and treatment.  My thoughts are with you!

Here's a resposting of my response to someone regarding interferon.

Interferon can definitely be a beast.  I finished my yearlong treatments on October 30, 2010.   I'm stage 3C.  It wasn't a great year, but it was doable for me.  I was able to teach first grade throughout the entire treatment; however, interferon effects people differently.  I also had the summer off (months 9+10), but I did a lot of "work" around the house.  Here are some of the things that helped me get through it.

– drink PLENTY of water – at least 64 ounces/day.

– eat whatever you can keep down – even if it's a whole Sara Lee poundcake – your body needs the fuel

– lemons, slurpees, pasta helped me alot

– anything with vinegar made me sick

– definitely lost taste for food and appetite, but you have to get whatever down that will stay down.

– I gave myself my shots around 7:00 with 2 Tylenol and 1 Benadryl…then went to bed

– slept until 6:30 each morning, so at least 11 hours of sleep/day

I gave my shots on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.  This way during the week, Wed and Friday were a little rougher, but Monday and Tuesdays were pretty good.  The bottom line is that I gave myself over to Interferon for the year.  I didn't go out much, especially to night functions.  I knew it was too tough on my body, and I wanted to give my body every chance to make the full year.  I did…with no regrets.  Now, whatever happens is in God's hands, but I gave it my all.

Best of luck with your decision regarding treatment.  Please feel free to email me if you have any additional questions.  God bless!

Tricia

Here's a resposting of my response to someone regarding interferon.

Interferon can definitely be a beast.  I finished my yearlong treatments on October 30, 2010.   I'm stage 3C.  It wasn't a great year, but it was doable for me.  I was able to teach first grade throughout the entire treatment; however, interferon effects people differently.  I also had the summer off (months 9+10), but I did a lot of "work" around the house.  Here are some of the things that helped me get through it.

– drink PLENTY of water – at least 64 ounces/day.

– eat whatever you can keep down – even if it's a whole Sara Lee poundcake – your body needs the fuel

– lemons, slurpees, pasta helped me alot

– anything with vinegar made me sick

– definitely lost taste for food and appetite, but you have to get whatever down that will stay down.

– I gave myself my shots around 7:00 with 2 Tylenol and 1 Benadryl…then went to bed

– slept until 6:30 each morning, so at least 11 hours of sleep/day

I gave my shots on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.  This way during the week, Wed and Friday were a little rougher, but Monday and Tuesdays were pretty good.  The bottom line is that I gave myself over to Interferon for the year.  I didn't go out much, especially to night functions.  I knew it was too tough on my body, and I wanted to give my body every chance to make the full year.  I did…with no regrets.  Now, whatever happens is in God's hands, but I gave it my all.

Best of luck with your decision regarding treatment.  Please feel free to email me if you have any additional questions.  God bless!

Tricia

Hi,

I am very sorry about your husband, I really hope he is doing well.
I can share an experience of my aunt (diagnosed with melanoma stage 3 in 2007). Unfortunately, she was sensitive to interferon and it did no good to her. She had various side-effects, like, fatigue, nausea, hard to concentrate, feeling very depressive, hair falling out. Of course, as anyone here mentioned, Interferon is something to which any patient reacts differently, so your husband might feel no side-effects to it. Anyhow, my aunt couldn`t do chemo or radio, so her onc advised her to try virotherapy (in Latvia it is done with Rigvir) and she actually corresponded good to it. She had more energy and her feelings were more balansed. All I wanted to say is, that you should consult your doctors about various treatment methods, and possibly choose the one, which harms your husband`s body the least. Cuz during the therapy, protection of the healthy cells of the body is as important as killing malignant cells.

Praying for your husband`s recovery!

Hi,

I am very sorry about your husband, I really hope he is doing well.
I can share an experience of my aunt (diagnosed with melanoma stage 3 in 2007). Unfortunately, she was sensitive to interferon and it did no good to her. She had various side-effects, like, fatigue, nausea, hard to concentrate, feeling very depressive, hair falling out. Of course, as anyone here mentioned, Interferon is something to which any patient reacts differently, so your husband might feel no side-effects to it. Anyhow, my aunt couldn`t do chemo or radio, so her onc advised her to try virotherapy (in Latvia it is done with Rigvir) and she actually corresponded good to it. She had more energy and her feelings were more balansed. All I wanted to say is, that you should consult your doctors about various treatment methods, and possibly choose the one, which harms your husband`s body the least. Cuz during the therapy, protection of the healthy cells of the body is as important as killing malignant cells.

Praying for your husband`s recovery!