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Your dad should read up on interferon as it relates to the treatment of melanoma.  The side effects can be pretty tough as your dad is experiencing.  The data also indicate that it does not improve overall survivability (although it does delay recurrence),  I would consult with your dad's oncologist – hopefully its a melanoma specialist, or seek a second opinion,.Most major melanoma centers no longer use interferon as part of the standard of care.  Hope that helps and good luck!

Your dad should read up on interferon as it relates to the treatment of melanoma.  The side effects can be pretty tough as your dad is experiencing.  The data also indicate that it does not improve overall survivability (although it does delay recurrence),  I would consult with your dad's oncologist – hopefully its a melanoma specialist, or seek a second opinion,.Most major melanoma centers no longer use interferon as part of the standard of care.  Hope that helps and good luck!

Your dad should read up on interferon as it relates to the treatment of melanoma.  The side effects can be pretty tough as your dad is experiencing.  The data also indicate that it does not improve overall survivability (although it does delay recurrence),  I would consult with your dad's oncologist – hopefully its a melanoma specialist, or seek a second opinion,.Most major melanoma centers no longer use interferon as part of the standard of care.  Hope that helps and good luck!

Dear Jmatchock,

my father did a 12 month interferon therapy… When on high dose, he was a total wreck, didn't eat a thing, felt horrible, just like your father… When he switched to lower dose at home, his sideffects went away immediately, he maybe felt a little fatigued on the day he self injected, his apetite came back and was ok afterwards…

His mel didn't return for 2 years, then he progressed to stage IV… so it helped to some extent… We don't regret it, cause back then there weren't any other options for adjuvant therapy… Today things are different, so maybe interferon is not the best option…

Should you choose to continue interferon, know that the lower dose is muuuuch less hard to cope with… 

Love,

Patrisa

Dear Jmatchock,

my father did a 12 month interferon therapy… When on high dose, he was a total wreck, didn't eat a thing, felt horrible, just like your father… When he switched to lower dose at home, his sideffects went away immediately, he maybe felt a little fatigued on the day he self injected, his apetite came back and was ok afterwards…

His mel didn't return for 2 years, then he progressed to stage IV… so it helped to some extent… We don't regret it, cause back then there weren't any other options for adjuvant therapy… Today things are different, so maybe interferon is not the best option…

Should you choose to continue interferon, know that the lower dose is muuuuch less hard to cope with… 

Love,

Patrisa

Dear Jmatchock,

my father did a 12 month interferon therapy… When on high dose, he was a total wreck, didn't eat a thing, felt horrible, just like your father… When he switched to lower dose at home, his sideffects went away immediately, he maybe felt a little fatigued on the day he self injected, his apetite came back and was ok afterwards…

His mel didn't return for 2 years, then he progressed to stage IV… so it helped to some extent… We don't regret it, cause back then there weren't any other options for adjuvant therapy… Today things are different, so maybe interferon is not the best option…

Should you choose to continue interferon, know that the lower dose is muuuuch less hard to cope with… 

Love,

Patrisa

Hi Jmatchock, side effects stopped after I stopped taking the drug and the end of the high dose phase!!!! My wife was ready to kill me since I had been such a pain in the neck for the whole month while taking the drug. I lost about 20lbs and the mental side of things was probably the toughest part. As a family we decided one month was enough especially after all the reading, we found no real advantage to staying on treatment. I progressed a year later to stage 4 brain and right lung. I started checkmate 067 from Bristol myer squibb of Ipi/nivo/combo, in Jan of 2014 and still going strong as a partial responder( shinkage but still visible tumor on scans in lung). Best wishes!!!Ed

Hi Jmatchock, side effects stopped after I stopped taking the drug and the end of the high dose phase!!!! My wife was ready to kill me since I had been such a pain in the neck for the whole month while taking the drug. I lost about 20lbs and the mental side of things was probably the toughest part. As a family we decided one month was enough especially after all the reading, we found no real advantage to staying on treatment. I progressed a year later to stage 4 brain and right lung. I started checkmate 067 from Bristol myer squibb of Ipi/nivo/combo, in Jan of 2014 and still going strong as a partial responder( shinkage but still visible tumor on scans in lung). Best wishes!!!Ed

Hi Jmatchock, side effects stopped after I stopped taking the drug and the end of the high dose phase!!!! My wife was ready to kill me since I had been such a pain in the neck for the whole month while taking the drug. I lost about 20lbs and the mental side of things was probably the toughest part. As a family we decided one month was enough especially after all the reading, we found no real advantage to staying on treatment. I progressed a year later to stage 4 brain and right lung. I started checkmate 067 from Bristol myer squibb of Ipi/nivo/combo, in Jan of 2014 and still going strong as a partial responder( shinkage but still visible tumor on scans in lung). Best wishes!!!Ed

I did interferon way back in 2001/2002.  It was brutal.  The side effects vary so much with each person but for me it took about a week to feel better and after a couple of weeks I was fine except for some short term memory loss which did come back after a while.  I quit after 9 months because it just got too rough but studies that came out after I did interferon show that the only benefit is from that first, high dose, month.  If he can just get through that he'll have the benefit.  While it's true that the numbers are not good for it, if you are in that approximately 9% then it's huge.  I was stage 3C, not good odds, and I'm still here and fine 15 years later.  Good luck to your dad.  Let us know what he decides.

DebbieH, stage 3C, NED 15 years after interferon

I did interferon way back in 2001/2002.  It was brutal.  The side effects vary so much with each person but for me it took about a week to feel better and after a couple of weeks I was fine except for some short term memory loss which did come back after a while.  I quit after 9 months because it just got too rough but studies that came out after I did interferon show that the only benefit is from that first, high dose, month.  If he can just get through that he'll have the benefit.  While it's true that the numbers are not good for it, if you are in that approximately 9% then it's huge.  I was stage 3C, not good odds, and I'm still here and fine 15 years later.  Good luck to your dad.  Let us know what he decides.

DebbieH, stage 3C, NED 15 years after interferon

I did interferon way back in 2001/2002.  It was brutal.  The side effects vary so much with each person but for me it took about a week to feel better and after a couple of weeks I was fine except for some short term memory loss which did come back after a while.  I quit after 9 months because it just got too rough but studies that came out after I did interferon show that the only benefit is from that first, high dose, month.  If he can just get through that he'll have the benefit.  While it's true that the numbers are not good for it, if you are in that approximately 9% then it's huge.  I was stage 3C, not good odds, and I'm still here and fine 15 years later.  Good luck to your dad.  Let us know what he decides.

DebbieH, stage 3C, NED 15 years after interferon