new cancer drugs can trigger diabetes

Yes, anon. We have long known that all immunotherapy drugs (yervoy, keytruda, and opdivo) and targeted therapy (BRAF/MEK combo’s) have the possibility of really nasty side effects. Tiredness, rashes, arthralgias, and fever (with targeted therapy) are pretty much a given. And while all of those adverse effects…not to mention the more devastating and permanent side effects, like the diabetes noted in this article…are incredibly unfortunate, folks with melanoma have to run the gauntlet in order to be treated for their deadly disease. I have documented reported side effects to immunotherapy for years:
https://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/search?q=side+effects+to+immunotherapy
The effort here is NOT to be weird or macabre, but to make sure if folks are having these untoward signs or symptoms they seek help from their doctor as soon as possible. Over the years docs have recognized that with breaks from therapy, steroids if required, and possibly dosage adjustments can ameliorate side effects and save lives. We melanoma peeps desperately need more melanoma treatments that rid more of us of melanoma and cause far fewer side effects. But, until we have them, I am super glad that those melanoma peeps with diabetes and hypothyroidism are still here…with us. Thanks for sharing. Knowledge is power. celeste

Always thought stuff like this was a no-brainer . . .

Diabetes > Death

One of the well known possible side effects. It’s why we get so much blood work done before the infusion.
Even if it were certain I’d get diabetes I’d still chose it over dying.

I hope that people who read that link get past the headline. The tabloid-like headline is not telling us anything new. Yes, immunotherapy drugs, specifically anti-pd1 checkpoint inhibitors, can cause diabetes in a small percentage of patients. This is not news. The article is really about the exciting research being funded to find out why and to possibly predict who might be at risk for this nasty side effect. There is even the possibility that this research could lead to a means of blocking this immune reaction, aiding not just immunotherapy patients, but also children and adults without cancer who might be at risk for diabetes. In the near term, identifying bio-markers that can indicate a susceptibility to diabetes could lead to more informed treatment decisions. This is all good.

For example, when I was diagnosed I was stage IV with mets in my brain, lungs and liver (and my lymph nodes). The risk of side effects weighed against the possibility of forestalling my inevitable demise from melanoma wasn’t even something I had to think about once. It’s a choice I would make again. The gentleman in the article who described diabetes as a “living hell” (I won’t disagree with him there), well it sounds like he received Opdivo in an adjuvant setting. If I were in his shoes and I knew that I was genetically predisposed to diabetes, I’m not sure I would have agreed to treatment. That’s where the value of being able to make such an informed decision comes in. Right now, we’re just rolling dice.

And yes, that’s my smiling mug in the article.