› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Thoughts on ctca ????
- This topic has 6 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 8 months ago by
stevecathy.
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- August 25, 2016 at 2:28 am
I am looking for thoughts?? Short version of my husbands journey. Diagnosis July 2015 , 3a . Originated on 4tg toe which was amputated. Lymph node disection 4 nodes positive 1mm or microscopic. Completed 4 infusions of yerovoy. Right after completing 4th dose , had 2 Mets in transit on thigh. So then ctca started mek/taf combo. He is still on mekinist and taflinar half dose since January. So far had 2mm and 5mm in lung , 5 mm gone in March 2mm still there June. Now last week’s scan 2mm still same and reading states likely scar. With this we are over joyed with relief. Dr. Still want to continue combo. My mind wonders if he was responder to yerovoy as I read many have Mets in transit. So I have to wonder did ctca give enough time and is combo over kill. OK, this is not short , but my mind is always on overdrive. Just looking for thoughts. Thanks everyone
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- August 25, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Sounds to me like a situation with a lot of gray areas, but I think that's a good thing.
So based on your description, it sounds like the doctor started your husband on Yervoy as an adjuvant treatment, meaning there was no evidence of disease when the treatment started and then the in-transit mets on the thigh popped up. As you said, hard to tell whether these mets popped up because of a reaction to Yervoy or because he wasn't responding to Yervoy. What I think this means is that Yervoy is still a possibility as a treatment down the road if you need it, because it's probably inconclusive whether it was working or not.
The fact that the Mek/Taf combo worked is great. Whether it was overkill or not is hard to know. Next step is hoping that he has a durable response to the Braf drugs. If not, I imagine the next step would be the PD-1 inhibitors (Keytruda or Opdivo). If it came to be that PD-1 drugs were not effective, I wouldn't rule out the use of Yervoy either in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor or on its own. If the doctors were resistant to that idea, I'd consider giving a second opinion and be sure to explain exactly what your husband's experience was with the drug. I don't think you can say that Yervoy was a failure with any certainty.
I wish you all the best and hopefully it's a durable response and you don't even have to consider these things.
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- August 25, 2016 at 6:08 pm
Thank you for the response . I truly appreciate input. Blessings, cathy -
- August 25, 2016 at 6:08 pm
Thank you for the response . I truly appreciate input. Blessings, cathy -
- August 25, 2016 at 6:08 pm
Thank you for the response . I truly appreciate input. Blessings, cathy
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- August 25, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Sounds to me like a situation with a lot of gray areas, but I think that's a good thing.
So based on your description, it sounds like the doctor started your husband on Yervoy as an adjuvant treatment, meaning there was no evidence of disease when the treatment started and then the in-transit mets on the thigh popped up. As you said, hard to tell whether these mets popped up because of a reaction to Yervoy or because he wasn't responding to Yervoy. What I think this means is that Yervoy is still a possibility as a treatment down the road if you need it, because it's probably inconclusive whether it was working or not.
The fact that the Mek/Taf combo worked is great. Whether it was overkill or not is hard to know. Next step is hoping that he has a durable response to the Braf drugs. If not, I imagine the next step would be the PD-1 inhibitors (Keytruda or Opdivo). If it came to be that PD-1 drugs were not effective, I wouldn't rule out the use of Yervoy either in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor or on its own. If the doctors were resistant to that idea, I'd consider giving a second opinion and be sure to explain exactly what your husband's experience was with the drug. I don't think you can say that Yervoy was a failure with any certainty.
I wish you all the best and hopefully it's a durable response and you don't even have to consider these things.
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- August 25, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Sounds to me like a situation with a lot of gray areas, but I think that's a good thing.
So based on your description, it sounds like the doctor started your husband on Yervoy as an adjuvant treatment, meaning there was no evidence of disease when the treatment started and then the in-transit mets on the thigh popped up. As you said, hard to tell whether these mets popped up because of a reaction to Yervoy or because he wasn't responding to Yervoy. What I think this means is that Yervoy is still a possibility as a treatment down the road if you need it, because it's probably inconclusive whether it was working or not.
The fact that the Mek/Taf combo worked is great. Whether it was overkill or not is hard to know. Next step is hoping that he has a durable response to the Braf drugs. If not, I imagine the next step would be the PD-1 inhibitors (Keytruda or Opdivo). If it came to be that PD-1 drugs were not effective, I wouldn't rule out the use of Yervoy either in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor or on its own. If the doctors were resistant to that idea, I'd consider giving a second opinion and be sure to explain exactly what your husband's experience was with the drug. I don't think you can say that Yervoy was a failure with any certainty.
I wish you all the best and hopefully it's a durable response and you don't even have to consider these things.
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