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Stage 3a treatment ?
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Stage 3a treatment ?

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Stage 3a treatment ?

  • Post
    • January 24, 2018 at 9:55 pm
    lep
    Participant

      My husband had a few microscopic melanoma cells in one sentinel node.  His petscan came back clear.  Now we have to decide whether to "watch and wait" or go with Opdivo. His oncologist is sending us to the head of the melanoma department at UT Southwestern for his opinion.  My feeling is this, Do you want to watch and wait until it's in your brain and then treat?  Husband would like no treatment as he's worried about side effects.  He's a hospital pharmacist so he sees the worst that can happen.  He's 67 and had planned to retire until this came up.  He also has prostate cancer which he is doing "active surveillance for.  What do you who have some experience with melanoma think?  Thanks

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        • January 25, 2018 at 4:59 am
        guynamedbilly
        Participant

          I was in the same situation, one micromet and clear pet scans.  I decided to start on Nivo, and I've been getting injections for 6 months with very few and very minor side effects.  I was pretty healthy though, with no other medical issues to think about, and I am younger, nearly half his age.  He is probably familiar with the side effects, but I doubt he knows all about the likelihood of the side effects.

          Watch and wait is an option for some people at our stage, I wouldn't say someone was wrong to make that decision.  For me though, the reported possible side effects never seemed greater than the negative probability from inaction.  I would suggest you find out what he is most nervous about, and then you research those questions ahead of time to talk to the Oncologist about.  Good luck

          • January 25, 2018 at 6:22 pm
          Gene_S
          Participant

            Hello,

            My husband was 3B (his lesion was 10.5 mm) as no adjuvant treatment was available in 2008 and when he went to 3C he decided to watch and wait.  But when he started this journey he was 57.  When he went to Stage 4 in 2010 he went into a clinical trial in March of 2011 of Ipi 10mg/kg and GMCSF.  He became cancer free in July 2012 and has remained that way.

            He said when the adjuvant treatments came out that he wouldn't have done them.

            He had very little side effects from the treatments so always remember everyone is different and everyone reacts differently.  He may get no side effects.  If you want to read more about my husbands journey look at his profile.

            Judy loving wife of Gene (Stage V and now NED for over 5.5 years)

              • January 26, 2018 at 6:46 am
              cavsnut
              Participant

                I can only offer my personal experience, diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago with stage 3a melanoma . I had one micromet to one of 4 lymph nodes taken out, it was .9mm. I chose watch and wait which at the time wasn’t the standard of care, which now is from my understanding from what my oncologist told me in December . All has been well with me so far other than a lymph node that looked suspicious last July, had a fine needle aspiration biopsy and it turned out ok..,so still NED coming up on 4 years…hope this helps some , and best of luck to your husband 

                Craig 

                • February 27, 2018 at 12:46 am
                Rob578
                Guest

                  might want to try low dose naltrexone (LDN) its off label but good results with no real side affects.

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