Requesting radiation to stubborn mets
REGISTER
The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content within the patient forum is user-generated and has not been reviewed by medical professionals. Other sections of the Melanoma Research Foundation website include information that has been reviewed by medical professionals as appropriate. All medical decisions should be made in consultation with your doctor or other qualified medical professional.

Requesting radiation to stubborn mets

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Requesting radiation to stubborn mets

  • Post
    • May 3, 2017 at 1:31 am
    Spl25
    Participant

    I've been on Keytruda (Pembrolizumab) for about 9 months and have tolerated it well and had a good response, but seem to be "plateauing." It's been a while since my last scans, and some days it feels like the cancer may be progressing, although perhaps thats in my head. Is a muted response (i.e. no tumor reduction) a good enough reason to go forward with some radiation? Are there any other treatment modalities I may want to bring up with my oncologist to try to get a renewed response? Are there any trials that are for people in my position? Most of my mets are in organs or hard-to-reach lymph nodes. The overwhelming medical opinion seems to be "stay the course," but sometimes I wonder if that has to do with a kind of status quo bias among patients and doctors alike. 

Viewing 0 reply threads
  • Replies
      • May 3, 2017 at 2:05 am
      Bubbles
      Participant

      I'm not sure what your scans are indicating but there is overwhelming evidence that radiation COMBINED with immunotherapy has much greater efficacy than either treatment alone.  Here is a link to about a zillion posts/articles demonstrating that fact (excuse the first one…don't know what that one keeps getting included!!!):  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/search?q=radiation+and+immunotherapy&max-results=20&by-date=true  

      Hope this helps. I wish you well.  celeste

        • May 3, 2017 at 2:46 am
        Spl25
        Participant

        I've seen the data, and the evidence that radiation turns a "cold" tumor hot (maybe even ones that aren't targeted) — I guess the question is how to convince a doctor (or insurance company) to add radiation and strike while the iron is hot (as opposed to when its just going to have palliative effect). I'll bring some of these studies to my next visit 🙂

Viewing 0 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
About the MRF Patient Forum

The MRF Patient Forum is the oldest and largest online community of people affected by melanoma. It is designed to provide peer support and information to caregivers, patients, family and friends. There is no better place to discuss different parts of your journey with this cancer and find the friends and support resources to make that journey more bearable.

The information on the forum is open and accessible to everyone. To add a new topic or to post a reply, you must be a registered user. Please note that you will be able to post both topics and replies anonymously even though you are logged in. All posts must abide by MRF posting policies.