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IL2 showed little positive result, doc wants to start Yervoy-Questions

Forums General Melanoma Community IL2 showed little positive result, doc wants to start Yervoy-Questions

  • Post
    Kelly7
    Participant

      Hi everyone,

       

      So, my brother had 3 legions on his lung and in February he did 20 bags of IL2, it was his first dose of IL2. He just went in today to get the results of his scan and the doctor said that one legion has completely disappeared, and the other two show less intensity, however didnt shrink. There were no new  legions formed. The doctor said it was positive results, but not enough to contiue with IL2. He wants to start him on Yervoy next week. He tested negative for the braff mutation.

      My questions are the following-

      Hi everyone,

       

      So, my brother had 3 legions on his lung and in February he did 20 bags of IL2, it was his first dose of IL2. He just went in today to get the results of his scan and the doctor said that one legion has completely disappeared, and the other two show less intensity, however didnt shrink. There were no new  legions formed. The doctor said it was positive results, but not enough to contiue with IL2. He wants to start him on Yervoy next week. He tested negative for the braff mutation.

      My questions are the following-

      Is this normal protocol to move on to Yervoy after only completing one round of IL2?

      Can he go from Yervoy back to IL2 if needed?

      Isnt the IL2 still working to boost his immune system? Will it work better in conjunction with the Yervoy?

       

      Thank you so much for any info you can give me. Im trying to stay positive and see the positive….he had 3 legions, now he has 2, but I am still so scared of what is to come.

       

      Thank you!

       

      Kelly

    Viewing 5 reply threads
    • Replies
        s Mom
        Participant

          Hi Kelly,

          I think that sounds like good news.  I have heard that Yervoy after IL2 is a good treatment plan – they both boost the immune system and the IL2 is the jump start!!   Yervoy takes a little longer to show up, but I think it sounds encouraging ๐Ÿ™‚

          IL2 did not work for Jeff.  He's now on Zelboraf (which is working).  He had a pretty big scare with progression of liver mets.  I sure hope your brother does well on Yervoy.  I am praying for you and wishing you the very best.

          Take care.

          Bridgette (Jeff's Mom)

          s Mom
          Participant

            Hi Kelly,

            I think that sounds like good news.  I have heard that Yervoy after IL2 is a good treatment plan – they both boost the immune system and the IL2 is the jump start!!   Yervoy takes a little longer to show up, but I think it sounds encouraging ๐Ÿ™‚

            IL2 did not work for Jeff.  He's now on Zelboraf (which is working).  He had a pretty big scare with progression of liver mets.  I sure hope your brother does well on Yervoy.  I am praying for you and wishing you the very best.

            Take care.

            Bridgette (Jeff's Mom)

            s Mom
            Participant

              Hi Kelly,

              I think that sounds like good news.  I have heard that Yervoy after IL2 is a good treatment plan – they both boost the immune system and the IL2 is the jump start!!   Yervoy takes a little longer to show up, but I think it sounds encouraging ๐Ÿ™‚

              IL2 did not work for Jeff.  He's now on Zelboraf (which is working).  He had a pretty big scare with progression of liver mets.  I sure hope your brother does well on Yervoy.  I am praying for you and wishing you the very best.

              Take care.

              Bridgette (Jeff's Mom)

              JerryfromFauq
              Participant

                 

                CancerGuide: Classic High Dose Interleukin-2

                http://cancerguide.org/rcc_il2hd.html

                Re-Treatment and Follow-Up: You will typically be scanned about a month after finishing treatment. If you have stable or responding disease, you're likely to be offered a second course of treatment usually 6-12 weeks after finishing the first course. If the tumors are growing, this indicates the treatment isn't working, and another course isn't offered.
                 

                • Patients with a complete response after any course get one additional course.
                • Patients with stable disease after the first course get one additional course, but no more, unless they have significant shrinkage with the second course.
                • Patients with a partial response are offered additional courses of treatment as long as their tumors keep shrinking.
                • In practice, more than three courses is very rare.
                • These rules are always subject to physician judgment and patient preference.

                 

                **************************************

                My Oncologist has been working with IL-2 since the early 1980's.  (It was approved for melanoma in the late 1990's.  He knows how to handle it and its problems.

                Less than 25% growth is considered stable for starting the second round.  It certainly sounds like your brother qualifies for at least Round #2 (Weeks 3 & 4) of Il-2.  My innumerable lung and liver tumors stayed stable for 20 months.  The liver tumors never have started growing again (hopefully dead!).  That delay in growth allowed me to get to the point that there were other things to try.  I have been stable for 37 months again on my present c-kit mutation targeted treatment.

                JerryfromFauq
                Participant

                   

                  CancerGuide: Classic High Dose Interleukin-2

                  http://cancerguide.org/rcc_il2hd.html

                  Re-Treatment and Follow-Up: You will typically be scanned about a month after finishing treatment. If you have stable or responding disease, you're likely to be offered a second course of treatment usually 6-12 weeks after finishing the first course. If the tumors are growing, this indicates the treatment isn't working, and another course isn't offered.
                   

                  • Patients with a complete response after any course get one additional course.
                  • Patients with stable disease after the first course get one additional course, but no more, unless they have significant shrinkage with the second course.
                  • Patients with a partial response are offered additional courses of treatment as long as their tumors keep shrinking.
                  • In practice, more than three courses is very rare.
                  • These rules are always subject to physician judgment and patient preference.

                   

                  **************************************

                  My Oncologist has been working with IL-2 since the early 1980's.  (It was approved for melanoma in the late 1990's.  He knows how to handle it and its problems.

                  Less than 25% growth is considered stable for starting the second round.  It certainly sounds like your brother qualifies for at least Round #2 (Weeks 3 & 4) of Il-2.  My innumerable lung and liver tumors stayed stable for 20 months.  The liver tumors never have started growing again (hopefully dead!).  That delay in growth allowed me to get to the point that there were other things to try.  I have been stable for 37 months again on my present c-kit mutation targeted treatment.

                  JerryfromFauq
                  Participant

                     

                    CancerGuide: Classic High Dose Interleukin-2

                    http://cancerguide.org/rcc_il2hd.html

                    Re-Treatment and Follow-Up: You will typically be scanned about a month after finishing treatment. If you have stable or responding disease, you're likely to be offered a second course of treatment usually 6-12 weeks after finishing the first course. If the tumors are growing, this indicates the treatment isn't working, and another course isn't offered.
                     

                    • Patients with a complete response after any course get one additional course.
                    • Patients with stable disease after the first course get one additional course, but no more, unless they have significant shrinkage with the second course.
                    • Patients with a partial response are offered additional courses of treatment as long as their tumors keep shrinking.
                    • In practice, more than three courses is very rare.
                    • These rules are always subject to physician judgment and patient preference.

                     

                    **************************************

                    My Oncologist has been working with IL-2 since the early 1980's.  (It was approved for melanoma in the late 1990's.  He knows how to handle it and its problems.

                    Less than 25% growth is considered stable for starting the second round.  It certainly sounds like your brother qualifies for at least Round #2 (Weeks 3 & 4) of Il-2.  My innumerable lung and liver tumors stayed stable for 20 months.  The liver tumors never have started growing again (hopefully dead!).  That delay in growth allowed me to get to the point that there were other things to try.  I have been stable for 37 months again on my present c-kit mutation targeted treatment.

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