First yervoy treatment

This topic has 33 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 5 months ago by JerryfromFauq.

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- January 4, 2012 at 1:44 am
- Quote
Sharon
Participant
My husband Gail is 67 and had his first treatment of Yervoy today. He had a biospy on a lymph node in September that proved melanoma. Nothing has been found on his skin to point to orginial so they can't stage him. He had surgery the end of September that removed 9 limp nodes 6 were cancer one unoperable near his heart. We are born again believers and have faith in God and ask for continued prayers we pray for little or no side effects and if God wills complete healing. A pet scan will be on Friday since September was his last one w

My husband Gail is 67 and had his first treatment of Yervoy today. He had a biospy on a lymph node in September that proved melanoma. Nothing has been found on his skin to point to orginial so they can't stage him. He had surgery the end of September that removed 9 limp nodes 6 were cancer one unoperable near his heart. We are born again believers and have faith in God and ask for continued prayers we pray for little or no side effects and if God wills complete healing. A pet scan will be on Friday since September was his last one we hope this scan will show no progression. We thank everyone who has posted as you have helped in giving us valuable imformation. I post this in a thank you for those who have posted and perhaps my post may help someone else. May God bless each and everyone as we are all on an adventure together.

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Replies

- - January 4, 2012 at 2:43 am
  - Quote
  jag
  Participant
  I will say a prayer that your husband is an Ipi responder.
  
  John
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:10 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you John!
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:10 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you John!
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:10 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you John!
- - January 4, 2012 at 2:43 am
  - Quote
  jag
  Participant
  I will say a prayer that your husband is an Ipi responder.
  
  John
- - January 4, 2012 at 2:43 am
  - Quote
  jag
  Participant
  I will say a prayer that your husband is an Ipi responder.
  
  John
- - January 4, 2012 at 4:25 am
  - Quote
  JerryfromFauq
  Participant
  Praying for you both. Do watch out for side effects and/or any elimination problems and report them to your Onologist immeditely. Ipi can be either or both a sawonderful treatment or a extremely rough one.
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:43 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you Jerry,
    
    They have made us very aware of the many possible side effects to look out for and have been really helpful to us giving us day and night numbers and even given us Methylprednisolone to use if after reporting a side effect to them and they feel we need to start it right away. Thanks for your input.
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:43 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you Jerry,
    
    They have made us very aware of the many possible side effects to look out for and have been really helpful to us giving us day and night numbers and even given us Methylprednisolone to use if after reporting a side effect to them and they feel we need to start it right away. Thanks for your input.
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:43 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you Jerry,
    
    They have made us very aware of the many possible side effects to look out for and have been really helpful to us giving us day and night numbers and even given us Methylprednisolone to use if after reporting a side effect to them and they feel we need to start it right away. Thanks for your input.
- - January 4, 2012 at 4:25 am
  - Quote
  JerryfromFauq
  Participant
  Praying for you both. Do watch out for side effects and/or any elimination problems and report them to your Onologist immeditely. Ipi can be either or both a sawonderful treatment or a extremely rough one.
- - January 4, 2012 at 4:25 am
  - Quote
  JerryfromFauq
  Participant
  Praying for you both. Do watch out for side effects and/or any elimination problems and report them to your Onologist immeditely. Ipi can be either or both a sawonderful treatment or a extremely rough one.
- - January 4, 2012 at 7:48 am
  - Quote
  lhaley
  Participant
  Sharon,
  
  Your husbands Dr should be able to get staged. Having the PET scan will give more info. What part of the body is the lymph nodes removed from? Are all of these from the same regional node is the one near the heart in a different region. Was Gail's tumors tested for the B-raf mutations?
  
  I hope that the scans show a good response on Friday!
  
  Linda
- - January 4, 2012 at 7:48 am
  - Quote
  lhaley
  Participant
  Sharon,
  
  Your husbands Dr should be able to get staged. Having the PET scan will give more info. What part of the body is the lymph nodes removed from? Are all of these from the same regional node is the one near the heart in a different region. Was Gail's tumors tested for the B-raf mutations?
  
  I hope that the scans show a good response on Friday!
  
  Linda
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:30 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Linda,
    
    The drs say that because we found nothing on his skin they cannot stage. They say they figure his own immune system took care of the original source. He noticed a lump in his groin and a couple of others there. They removed the larger one and it was melanoma. The surgery was to remove the others in the groin and down the leg a bit but while there they noticed nodes that didn't look normal near the stomach area. So the surgery started in the groin down his leg then at the bottom of the stomach and around the belly button. They sent tissue and tested for the Braf but this is not the kind he has. It's been since September that his last scan was so they want to do another to see where we are at. Thank you for the contact and note of encouragement. Sharon
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:30 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Linda,
    
    The drs say that because we found nothing on his skin they cannot stage. They say they figure his own immune system took care of the original source. He noticed a lump in his groin and a couple of others there. They removed the larger one and it was melanoma. The surgery was to remove the others in the groin and down the leg a bit but while there they noticed nodes that didn't look normal near the stomach area. So the surgery started in the groin down his leg then at the bottom of the stomach and around the belly button. They sent tissue and tested for the Braf but this is not the kind he has. It's been since September that his last scan was so they want to do another to see where we are at. Thank you for the contact and note of encouragement. Sharon
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:30 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Linda,
    
    The drs say that because we found nothing on his skin they cannot stage. They say they figure his own immune system took care of the original source. He noticed a lump in his groin and a couple of others there. They removed the larger one and it was melanoma. The surgery was to remove the others in the groin and down the leg a bit but while there they noticed nodes that didn't look normal near the stomach area. So the surgery started in the groin down his leg then at the bottom of the stomach and around the belly button. They sent tissue and tested for the Braf but this is not the kind he has. It's been since September that his last scan was so they want to do another to see where we are at. Thank you for the contact and note of encouragement. Sharon
- - January 4, 2012 at 7:48 am
  - Quote
  lhaley
  Participant
  Sharon,
  
  Your husbands Dr should be able to get staged. Having the PET scan will give more info. What part of the body is the lymph nodes removed from? Are all of these from the same regional node is the one near the heart in a different region. Was Gail's tumors tested for the B-raf mutations?
  
  I hope that the scans show a good response on Friday!
  
  Linda
- - January 4, 2012 at 10:52 am
  - Quote
  FormerCaregiver
  Participant
  Welcome to our forum. As you may know, cases with an unknown primary tumour are fairly
  rare. See: http://www.asco.org/ascov2/Meetings/Abstracts?vmview=abst_detail_view&abstractID=31120&confID=55
  
  Hopefully the scan on Friday will be better than expected. You and your husband are in
  my thoughts and prayers.
  
  Take care
  
  Frank from Australia
- - January 4, 2012 at 10:52 am
  - Quote
  FormerCaregiver
  Participant
  Welcome to our forum. As you may know, cases with an unknown primary tumour are fairly
  rare. See: http://www.asco.org/ascov2/Meetings/Abstracts?vmview=abst_detail_view&abstractID=31120&confID=55
  
  Hopefully the scan on Friday will be better than expected. You and your husband are in
  my thoughts and prayers.
  
  Take care
  
  Frank from Australia
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:35 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you Frank,
    
    We were told that not finding the originial is not the norm and that perhaps his own immune system took care of it. I appreciate the artical thank you and thanks too for the encouragement and prayers!
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:35 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you Frank,
    
    We were told that not finding the originial is not the norm and that perhaps his own immune system took care of it. I appreciate the artical thank you and thanks too for the encouragement and prayers!
  - January 4, 2012 at 11:27 pm
    
    Quote
    davidfromsingapore
    Participant
    
    Will be thinking about your and your husband and wishing you strength through these difficult times.
    
    David
  - January 4, 2012 at 11:27 pm
    
    Quote
    davidfromsingapore
    Participant
    
    Will be thinking about your and your husband and wishing you strength through these difficult times.
    
    David
  - January 5, 2012 at 3:30 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you David!
  - January 5, 2012 at 3:30 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you David!
  - January 5, 2012 at 3:30 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you David!
  - January 4, 2012 at 11:27 pm
    
    Quote
    davidfromsingapore
    Participant
    
    Will be thinking about your and your husband and wishing you strength through these difficult times.
    
    David
  - January 4, 2012 at 7:35 pm
    
    Quote
    Sharon
    Participant
    
    Thank you Frank,
    
    We were told that not finding the originial is not the norm and that perhaps his own immune system took care of it. I appreciate the artical thank you and thanks too for the encouragement and prayers!
- - January 4, 2012 at 10:52 am
  - Quote
  FormerCaregiver
  Participant
  Welcome to our forum. As you may know, cases with an unknown primary tumour are fairly
  rare. See: http://www.asco.org/ascov2/Meetings/Abstracts?vmview=abst_detail_view&abstractID=31120&confID=55
  
  Hopefully the scan on Friday will be better than expected. You and your husband are in
  my thoughts and prayers.
  
  Take care
  
  Frank from Australia
- - January 5, 2012 at 11:10 pm
  - Quote
  JerryfromFauq
  Participant
  Sharoon, When Cancer has moved to the lymph nodes is is usually considered as at a stage III level. If the tumors have advanced to distant lymph nodes beyond the vicinity of a known primary, then the stage is considered to be stage IV. it soundsIike Gail is likely at least stage III.
  
  For unknown primaries I think that at least the local Oncoprotein test for the c-kit oncoprotein overexpression should be conducted. If this preliminary test is negative then no further c-kit testing is necessary. If positive then a more detailed tumor C-kit DNA mutation test should be made. If both are positive then there are several anti-c-kit treatments available. (I have been on one for three years now.)
- - January 5, 2012 at 11:10 pm
  - Quote
  JerryfromFauq
  Participant
  Sharoon, When Cancer has moved to the lymph nodes is is usually considered as at a stage III level. If the tumors have advanced to distant lymph nodes beyond the vicinity of a known primary, then the stage is considered to be stage IV. it soundsIike Gail is likely at least stage III.
  
  For unknown primaries I think that at least the local Oncoprotein test for the c-kit oncoprotein overexpression should be conducted. If this preliminary test is negative then no further c-kit testing is necessary. If positive then a more detailed tumor C-kit DNA mutation test should be made. If both are positive then there are several anti-c-kit treatments available. (I have been on one for three years now.)
- - January 5, 2012 at 11:10 pm
  - Quote
  JerryfromFauq
  Participant
  Sharoon, When Cancer has moved to the lymph nodes is is usually considered as at a stage III level. If the tumors have advanced to distant lymph nodes beyond the vicinity of a known primary, then the stage is considered to be stage IV. it soundsIike Gail is likely at least stage III.
  
  For unknown primaries I think that at least the local Oncoprotein test for the c-kit oncoprotein overexpression should be conducted. If this preliminary test is negative then no further c-kit testing is necessary. If positive then a more detailed tumor C-kit DNA mutation test should be made. If both are positive then there are several anti-c-kit treatments available. (I have been on one for three years now.)