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Scans

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  • Post
    • June 8, 2017 at 4:59 am
    jennis3b
    Participant

      I had my 6 month scans Monday after coming off of treatment. They found a few new things since the scans 3 months ago. They found a small lesion on my liver as well as small nodules in my left breast and right shoulder. They're being watched for my next scans. Doc says they're too small to do anything about now. Any advice?

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    • Replies
        • June 8, 2017 at 5:21 am
        betsyl
        Participant

          Jenn,

          I'm sorry you're dealing with this sucky disease. 

          I don't have any advice, but I do have a question. Why don't stage 3 patients regularly get prescribed immunotherapy drugs? I assume it is because the FDA hasn't approved these drugs for stage 3? And I assume this is because the trials done to date haven't included stage 3 patients. 

          Am I right in thinking this? Or is there some medical/scientific reason that giving immunotherapy to stage 3 patients wouldn't be clinically effective? 

          It just seems to me that if immunotherapy is great for stage IV wouldn't it also be great for stage 3–and potentially prevent the disease from progressing?

          I hope you don't mind me asking this as a response to your post.

          • June 8, 2017 at 10:28 am
          maperny
          Participant

            Hi Jenn,

            has the Dr confirmed the lesions are melanoma?  Wrong about too small if so.  You could start immunotherapy which actually is an approved treatment for stage 3 and stage 4 now.  I do not wish to scare you as you sound very pragmatic about this, but I believe the chances of immunotherapy working increase significantly if there is less tumour burden (maybe Celeste can confirm this?)

            Are you with a melanoma specialist?  Have you been tested for BRAF status?

            Good luck

            Maria

              • June 8, 2017 at 12:50 pm
              jennis3b
              Participant

                Thanks Maria!

                Doc hasn't confirmed it's melanoma. He just says they're too small to do anything about. He said he feels other nodules in my arm pit, but they did not show on the scan. Scan says they are grossly stable, but they've not been mentioned specifically in the other two scans I've had. 

                I am with a melanoma specialist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fl. Is BRAF the genetic testing? I know they did a test on my primary tumor before I started treatment. It came back negative. 

                • June 9, 2017 at 12:00 am
                maperny
                Participant

                  Yes, the genetic testing looks for mutations and if you are BRAF positive then there are some targeted treatments for this that can be helpful.

                  You are at a very good centre as I understand it, maybe you could ask about adjuvant immunotherapy treatment as you have diagnosed as Stage 3 and It should be available.  Particularly since there is a potential you have something further brewing

                  Maria

                  • June 9, 2017 at 12:01 am
                  maperny
                  Participant
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