› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Switching from Keytruda to Yervoy/Opdivo 11/4 start
- This topic has 15 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 6 months ago by
mrsaxde.
- Post
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- October 22, 2015 at 12:28 am
My husband will switch to Yervoy 3 mg/kg with concurrent Opdivo 1 mg/kg X 4 sessions then scheduled to con't on Opdivo 1 mg every 3 wks. Have looked back on posts by folks on this 4 X combo to see what to expect in increased SE's so can be prepared. He's only experienced itchy rash and fatigue with Keytruda but see there's likely to be more with Yervoy. Will post his experience with combo if it will help others. Caveat: my husband is an older gentleman, 78 years young, so I have also been quite interested in all the posts about how seniors are tolerating the various treatment regimens. He was in top physical shape going into this 2 yrs ago so I know that's helped him cope but, still, aging does take away some resiliency.
Also, to anyone doing this combo, are these the dosages you are/were also getting/got? thx for any info.
A.L.
- Replies
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- October 22, 2015 at 1:46 am
Before starting Keytruda, had your husband done Yervoy/ipi by itself? I ask because I got ipi last winter, and was started on Keytruda this summer when ipi stopped working. The Keytruda is working for me so far, and I'm hoping I won't need anything else. But with the combo being approved I was wondering if I might be eligible to get it in the future if necessary, or whether my previous treatment with ipi would mean I couldn't get it again in combo.
My best wishes to you and your husband.
-Bill
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- October 22, 2015 at 6:10 pm
Hi Bill,
I progressed on Yervoy, then switched to Keytruda. After five doses, scans showed continued progression so I was booted off Keytruda. After doing a trial, the recent ipi/nivo approval opened the door to another FDA approved treatment. My doc has ordered the ipi/nivo and we are awaiting insurance approval now. It would seem, that despite failing both drugs independently, that the combo remains a viable alternative.
Aloha, Gary
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- October 24, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Thanks for the info Gary. As I said, so far I seem to be getting a good response from Keytruda, and I hope I'll be one of the lucky ones who gets a complete, long term response from it. But I'm always keeping options in the back of my mind, just in case.
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- October 24, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Thanks for the info Gary. As I said, so far I seem to be getting a good response from Keytruda, and I hope I'll be one of the lucky ones who gets a complete, long term response from it. But I'm always keeping options in the back of my mind, just in case.
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- October 24, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Thanks for the info Gary. As I said, so far I seem to be getting a good response from Keytruda, and I hope I'll be one of the lucky ones who gets a complete, long term response from it. But I'm always keeping options in the back of my mind, just in case.
-
- October 22, 2015 at 6:10 pm
Hi Bill,
I progressed on Yervoy, then switched to Keytruda. After five doses, scans showed continued progression so I was booted off Keytruda. After doing a trial, the recent ipi/nivo approval opened the door to another FDA approved treatment. My doc has ordered the ipi/nivo and we are awaiting insurance approval now. It would seem, that despite failing both drugs independently, that the combo remains a viable alternative.
Aloha, Gary
-
- October 22, 2015 at 6:10 pm
Hi Bill,
I progressed on Yervoy, then switched to Keytruda. After five doses, scans showed continued progression so I was booted off Keytruda. After doing a trial, the recent ipi/nivo approval opened the door to another FDA approved treatment. My doc has ordered the ipi/nivo and we are awaiting insurance approval now. It would seem, that despite failing both drugs independently, that the combo remains a viable alternative.
Aloha, Gary
-
- October 22, 2015 at 1:46 am
Before starting Keytruda, had your husband done Yervoy/ipi by itself? I ask because I got ipi last winter, and was started on Keytruda this summer when ipi stopped working. The Keytruda is working for me so far, and I'm hoping I won't need anything else. But with the combo being approved I was wondering if I might be eligible to get it in the future if necessary, or whether my previous treatment with ipi would mean I couldn't get it again in combo.
My best wishes to you and your husband.
-Bill
-
- October 22, 2015 at 1:46 am
Before starting Keytruda, had your husband done Yervoy/ipi by itself? I ask because I got ipi last winter, and was started on Keytruda this summer when ipi stopped working. The Keytruda is working for me so far, and I'm hoping I won't need anything else. But with the combo being approved I was wondering if I might be eligible to get it in the future if necessary, or whether my previous treatment with ipi would mean I couldn't get it again in combo.
My best wishes to you and your husband.
-Bill
-
- October 22, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Hi there,
My mother, a young 74 y/o was initially on Keytruda (3 doses) and then switched to the ipi/nivo combo (2 doses). I'm not sure the specific dosing of the ipi/nivo. Unfortunately, she had a pretty heavy tumor load and mets to the brain. she had also gone through targeted radiation and whole brain radiation. She passed away a few weeks ago, Oct. 2.
But, as far as side effects and her age, she breezed through all the treatments! Some fatigue and loss of appetite, but it never slowed her down much. She was very active, (music/arts), and was able to live her life pretty close to how it was prior to her diagnosis.
Good luck, and keep us posted. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!
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- October 23, 2015 at 8:33 pm
Dear Bill, Gary, Rawlins Mom: Thx for responding. Looked @ your profiles to better appreciate your malig mel challenges. Rs Mom: please accept our sincere condolences for the loss of your Mom. Our being older than she was and very aware of our mortality, we can appreciate she lived a full and fun life, a relatively short illness and seems to have stepped up and out with her dancing shoes still on.
Bill and Gary: the recent research results I am accessing on several sites I use (Celeste posted recently on this too) seem to indicate better control/remission odds for the ipi/nivo combo & I was glad to see it expeditiously FDA approved as this seemed only next option my husband would have at this time. Also, no restrictions re previous treatment I believe. My profile tracks husband's melanoma 'experience'.
His regimen change happens in 2 weeks. Because I am planning for the worst/hoping for the best with ipi/nivo combo, I am assembling a packet of all SEs and treatment per BMS prescribing info that we can take to the hospital in the middle of a dark and stormy night on a long weekend if anything serious happens fast. (Isn't that the only time these things happen?) ER personnel will not be familiar with immunotherapy SEs/tx & we will want them to have appropriate guidance. I made this packet for Keytruda/pembro, but luckily not needed. Will talk with infusion pharmacologist re prophylactic meds to have on hand.
While we are not with a melanoma specialty tx center (and I have had some angst about that), I have to give Kaiser 4 stars with this round as we have an excellent oncologist now, curious, responsive, with a good collaborative team @ Santa Rosa Kaiser, well prepared infusion RNs, infusion pharmacologist on site and an interested, sharp SRS radiologist in So SF Kaiser who reviews his MRIs & follows his case. We can switch to UCSF & have consulted there. Also, as an aside, not all MRI machines are created equal. Because the tumor read in his case is very difficult given its winding location in his cervical spine, he is to request a specific machine for this next MRI which will be baseline for this new regimen. The trailered MRIs give a less clear picture especially if reducing slices to <4 mm.
Hoping you both get on Yervoy/Opdivo combo soon and do very very well. Please keep us advised. A.L.
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- October 23, 2015 at 8:33 pm
Dear Bill, Gary, Rawlins Mom: Thx for responding. Looked @ your profiles to better appreciate your malig mel challenges. Rs Mom: please accept our sincere condolences for the loss of your Mom. Our being older than she was and very aware of our mortality, we can appreciate she lived a full and fun life, a relatively short illness and seems to have stepped up and out with her dancing shoes still on.
Bill and Gary: the recent research results I am accessing on several sites I use (Celeste posted recently on this too) seem to indicate better control/remission odds for the ipi/nivo combo & I was glad to see it expeditiously FDA approved as this seemed only next option my husband would have at this time. Also, no restrictions re previous treatment I believe. My profile tracks husband's melanoma 'experience'.
His regimen change happens in 2 weeks. Because I am planning for the worst/hoping for the best with ipi/nivo combo, I am assembling a packet of all SEs and treatment per BMS prescribing info that we can take to the hospital in the middle of a dark and stormy night on a long weekend if anything serious happens fast. (Isn't that the only time these things happen?) ER personnel will not be familiar with immunotherapy SEs/tx & we will want them to have appropriate guidance. I made this packet for Keytruda/pembro, but luckily not needed. Will talk with infusion pharmacologist re prophylactic meds to have on hand.
While we are not with a melanoma specialty tx center (and I have had some angst about that), I have to give Kaiser 4 stars with this round as we have an excellent oncologist now, curious, responsive, with a good collaborative team @ Santa Rosa Kaiser, well prepared infusion RNs, infusion pharmacologist on site and an interested, sharp SRS radiologist in So SF Kaiser who reviews his MRIs & follows his case. We can switch to UCSF & have consulted there. Also, as an aside, not all MRI machines are created equal. Because the tumor read in his case is very difficult given its winding location in his cervical spine, he is to request a specific machine for this next MRI which will be baseline for this new regimen. The trailered MRIs give a less clear picture especially if reducing slices to <4 mm.
Hoping you both get on Yervoy/Opdivo combo soon and do very very well. Please keep us advised. A.L.
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- October 23, 2015 at 8:33 pm
Dear Bill, Gary, Rawlins Mom: Thx for responding. Looked @ your profiles to better appreciate your malig mel challenges. Rs Mom: please accept our sincere condolences for the loss of your Mom. Our being older than she was and very aware of our mortality, we can appreciate she lived a full and fun life, a relatively short illness and seems to have stepped up and out with her dancing shoes still on.
Bill and Gary: the recent research results I am accessing on several sites I use (Celeste posted recently on this too) seem to indicate better control/remission odds for the ipi/nivo combo & I was glad to see it expeditiously FDA approved as this seemed only next option my husband would have at this time. Also, no restrictions re previous treatment I believe. My profile tracks husband's melanoma 'experience'.
His regimen change happens in 2 weeks. Because I am planning for the worst/hoping for the best with ipi/nivo combo, I am assembling a packet of all SEs and treatment per BMS prescribing info that we can take to the hospital in the middle of a dark and stormy night on a long weekend if anything serious happens fast. (Isn't that the only time these things happen?) ER personnel will not be familiar with immunotherapy SEs/tx & we will want them to have appropriate guidance. I made this packet for Keytruda/pembro, but luckily not needed. Will talk with infusion pharmacologist re prophylactic meds to have on hand.
While we are not with a melanoma specialty tx center (and I have had some angst about that), I have to give Kaiser 4 stars with this round as we have an excellent oncologist now, curious, responsive, with a good collaborative team @ Santa Rosa Kaiser, well prepared infusion RNs, infusion pharmacologist on site and an interested, sharp SRS radiologist in So SF Kaiser who reviews his MRIs & follows his case. We can switch to UCSF & have consulted there. Also, as an aside, not all MRI machines are created equal. Because the tumor read in his case is very difficult given its winding location in his cervical spine, he is to request a specific machine for this next MRI which will be baseline for this new regimen. The trailered MRIs give a less clear picture especially if reducing slices to <4 mm.
Hoping you both get on Yervoy/Opdivo combo soon and do very very well. Please keep us advised. A.L.
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- October 22, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Hi there,
My mother, a young 74 y/o was initially on Keytruda (3 doses) and then switched to the ipi/nivo combo (2 doses). I'm not sure the specific dosing of the ipi/nivo. Unfortunately, she had a pretty heavy tumor load and mets to the brain. she had also gone through targeted radiation and whole brain radiation. She passed away a few weeks ago, Oct. 2.
But, as far as side effects and her age, she breezed through all the treatments! Some fatigue and loss of appetite, but it never slowed her down much. She was very active, (music/arts), and was able to live her life pretty close to how it was prior to her diagnosis.
Good luck, and keep us posted. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!
-
- October 22, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Hi there,
My mother, a young 74 y/o was initially on Keytruda (3 doses) and then switched to the ipi/nivo combo (2 doses). I'm not sure the specific dosing of the ipi/nivo. Unfortunately, she had a pretty heavy tumor load and mets to the brain. she had also gone through targeted radiation and whole brain radiation. She passed away a few weeks ago, Oct. 2.
But, as far as side effects and her age, she breezed through all the treatments! Some fatigue and loss of appetite, but it never slowed her down much. She was very active, (music/arts), and was able to live her life pretty close to how it was prior to her diagnosis.
Good luck, and keep us posted. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!
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