Does immunotherapy work on brain mets without radiation?

Hi Anon, take a look at this link which features Dr. David Reardon of Boston. At the 46:00 min mark he talks about clinical trials with Immunotherapies. The whole presentation is about treating Brain cancers in general with Immunotherapies!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYLoiMJFCq4   The second place you can look for answers is the Angeles Clinic which offers a phase two trial of Ipi and Nivo combination. Dr. Omid Hamid is one of the main Dr.s there. http://www.theangelesclinic.org/Home/ResearchClinicalTrials/ClinicalTrialList/tabid/19278/Default.aspx#Melanoma   Now the short answer to your question is yes but the results are in the early days stage. Not very long ago you couldn't get into a clinical trial if you had active brain mets. Now we are doing trials on melanoma patients to see how well checkpoint inhibitors actually work on brain mets. Best Wishes!!! Ed    

Hi Anon, take a look at this link which features Dr. David Reardon of Boston. At the 46:00 min mark he talks about clinical trials with Immunotherapies. The whole presentation is about treating Brain cancers in general with Immunotherapies!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYLoiMJFCq4   The second place you can look for answers is the Angeles Clinic which offers a phase two trial of Ipi and Nivo combination. Dr. Omid Hamid is one of the main Dr.s there. http://www.theangelesclinic.org/Home/ResearchClinicalTrials/ClinicalTrialList/tabid/19278/Default.aspx#Melanoma   Now the short answer to your question is yes but the results are in the early days stage. Not very long ago you couldn't get into a clinical trial if you had active brain mets. Now we are doing trials on melanoma patients to see how well checkpoint inhibitors actually work on brain mets. Best Wishes!!! Ed    

Hi Anon, take a look at this link which features Dr. David Reardon of Boston. At the 46:00 min mark he talks about clinical trials with Immunotherapies. The whole presentation is about treating Brain cancers in general with Immunotherapies!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYLoiMJFCq4   The second place you can look for answers is the Angeles Clinic which offers a phase two trial of Ipi and Nivo combination. Dr. Omid Hamid is one of the main Dr.s there. http://www.theangelesclinic.org/Home/ResearchClinicalTrials/ClinicalTrialList/tabid/19278/Default.aspx#Melanoma   Now the short answer to your question is yes but the results are in the early days stage. Not very long ago you couldn't get into a clinical trial if you had active brain mets. Now we are doing trials on melanoma patients to see how well checkpoint inhibitors actually work on brain mets. Best Wishes!!! Ed    

We know it works best WITH radiation like SRS…but…YES! Immunotherapy works on brain mets (BRAF does too, for that matter). Here is a post I put together some time ago that explains:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.fr/2014/06

There are many more, more recent abstracts and articles confirming this…as well as info on BRAFi and brain mets. Just use the search bubble at the top left of the blog if you like. Celeste

We know it works best WITH radiation like SRS…but…YES! Immunotherapy works on brain mets (BRAF does too, for that matter). Here is a post I put together some time ago that explains:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.fr/2014/06

There are many more, more recent abstracts and articles confirming this…as well as info on BRAFi and brain mets. Just use the search bubble at the top left of the blog if you like. Celeste

We know it works best WITH radiation like SRS…but…YES! Immunotherapy works on brain mets (BRAF does too, for that matter). Here is a post I put together some time ago that explains:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.fr/2014/06

There are many more, more recent abstracts and articles confirming this…as well as info on BRAFi and brain mets. Just use the search bubble at the top left of the blog if you like. Celeste

Short answer is yes. Long answer don't go there because of the very high changes of more mets and the devastating results. – Think seizures and dementia  and Alzheimer like symptoms…

My Mom had brain mets and had Gamma Knife Radiation for 8 just before starting Yervoy/ipi. 4 months later she had 17 MORE brain mets. AND she responded beautifully to Yervory!

Again, she had 17 MORE brain mets and had been on Yervoy and responding really well to it. What if you are not a responder? – I can't imagine the scenario. It's really too much to take a chance on when we know Gamma Knife Radiation is almost a home run.

– This goes for any therapy now. I wouldn't want to be a Guinea pig for this when you know that brain mets can be treated wil Gamma Knife Radiation and there are few to no side effects compared to leaving them be.

Short answer is yes. Long answer don't go there because of the very high changes of more mets and the devastating results. – Think seizures and dementia  and Alzheimer like symptoms…

My Mom had brain mets and had Gamma Knife Radiation for 8 just before starting Yervoy/ipi. 4 months later she had 17 MORE brain mets. AND she responded beautifully to Yervory!

Again, she had 17 MORE brain mets and had been on Yervoy and responding really well to it. What if you are not a responder? – I can't imagine the scenario. It's really too much to take a chance on when we know Gamma Knife Radiation is almost a home run.

– This goes for any therapy now. I wouldn't want to be a Guinea pig for this when you know that brain mets can be treated wil Gamma Knife Radiation and there are few to no side effects compared to leaving them be.

Short answer is yes. Long answer don't go there because of the very high changes of more mets and the devastating results. – Think seizures and dementia  and Alzheimer like symptoms…

My Mom had brain mets and had Gamma Knife Radiation for 8 just before starting Yervoy/ipi. 4 months later she had 17 MORE brain mets. AND she responded beautifully to Yervory!

Again, she had 17 MORE brain mets and had been on Yervoy and responding really well to it. What if you are not a responder? – I can't imagine the scenario. It's really too much to take a chance on when we know Gamma Knife Radiation is almost a home run.

– This goes for any therapy now. I wouldn't want to be a Guinea pig for this when you know that brain mets can be treated wil Gamma Knife Radiation and there are few to no side effects compared to leaving them be.