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mets vs mass
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mets vs mass

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › mets vs mass

  • Post
    • March 8, 2017 at 3:48 pm
    daughter1
    Participant

      I was wondering if you could help me. I have been reading number of "mets" and wonderful news about the immonotherapy.   My mother is a patient at Sloan.  She had a new cat scan and MRI done at Sloan prior to starting her opdivo/yervoy treatment.  

      The scan came back with good news in the brain- nothing

      but the liver had two large masses.

       Numerous bilobar hepatic metastases are

      identified. Although differences in technique likely account in part for

      the apparent change many more lesions are seen on the present scan than on
      the previous. A 4.0 x 4.3 cm mass in the posterior right hepatic lobe
      previously measured 3.5 x 2.8 cm. A 5.4 x 4.1 cm mass previously measured
      5.4 x 3.5 cm. Tumor likely invades through the hepatic capsule. Additional
      numerous lesions are now evident that were barely if at all perceptible on
      the previous examination. No intrahepatic biliary ductal dilatation.

       

      My question is this-  it seems as if this is all over her liver.  Providing this combo works, can it truly shrink these masses after only 4 treaments?

      She is doing very well with very little side effects. just fatigue so far.  

      I am just confused because I read all these promising stories but they all seem to refer to "mets" and have heard very little about "masses"

      is it the same thing?  how do you all know the number of mets?  

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        • March 8, 2017 at 5:27 pm
        Hukill
        Participant

          Some people have only been able to receive 1 combo treatment and still had good results. It is not unusual for mets to increase in size after starting the combo due to immune cells collecting in the cancer. If she is reacting to the treatment surely after 4 doeses you should see results. I had significant results at 8 weeks on 7 mets in my lungs and at 6 months my scan was "near complete resolution". My next scan is on the 16th and I hope the word near is removed.

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