“At a three-year follow-up with trial participants who had had a stage III or IV melanoma fully removed but were at high risk of the cancer coming back, those who got the vaccine from Moderna and Merck along with Merck’s Keytruda immunotherapy had a 4…Read more

What about joint paint? And other side effects eta? How much longer from when you stopped treatment did side effects go away? Other than the ones that are permanent.

I am looking to hear about anyone who experienced rash with immunotherapy.

I completed one year of Pembro for stage 2 in Oct. while receiving the treatment, my effects were mild fatigue and a very mild rash. After completing it, I have more rash. It pops up in new places, more so with the cold, dry weather. It’s still very mild.…Read more

Try not to worry, but I know that is very hard at this stage!!! I get it. It will get easier, trust me. Also know stage 3A has pretty good outco…Read more

I started treatment last year with zero side effects… so far. I have a few more to go.

Happy to say I am NED after full CT and MRI. It’s just a year but it’s something considering how precarious stage 2C is.

Thank you t…Read more

Myoja

I am in the middle of treatment now for stage 2C. I have had no side effects. But I underestimated what a time commitment this is. I go every 6 weeks now (3 week interval for a first 2-3 months), and those appointments are not short. Nevertheless, I’m glad I’m doing it.

I would have done it if I was stage 2 B. For me, the anxiety of…Read more

I’m not sure about this but I can tell you my experience. I also had SLNB in my groin. My stitches are “thick” and somewhat bumpy but it’s all within the skin and scar. I would imagine that a lymph node bump would feel like a bump underneath the skin. I assume the difference between stitch bumps and a cancerous lymph node would b…Read more

I just had my fourth infusion of pembro today. So far I have had no side effects that I know. Has anyone had no side effects and still had a response? Do side effects ever occur later into the treatment?
It’s adjuvant but with very high risk of recurrence, I’m hoping for some sign that it’s working or not.

Any info or exper…Read more

Enjoy!

Second, at what point did you start to feel even slightly less anxious? I’m almost 6 months out and everyday I struggle to not think about my own mortality and recurrence. So far my scans have been clean but that was only a recent CT scan. Seems like a PET scan is better at d…Read more

I have a question: did they have any clue about how much they cut through? Like, did they give you a measurement in the WLE path report? Just curious.

M

I’m sorry you are going through this. I am in a similar boat as I diagnosed when my son was 5 weeks old. It was a thick melanoma which is not good, but it hasn’t shown any signs of spread so far so that’s good.

It is VERY good that you caught yours now since it seems that pregnancy delays diagnosis resulting in unfavorable outcomes. But…Read more

I decided to do treatment and will start soon. My Onc made is very clear that there is still a risk of treatment failure and recurre…Read more

Also, one more question about your…Read more

Thank you for the response! People here are very supportive and I am very grateful for that!

You are correct that everything was removed with surgery, no lymph node spread. But nevertheless I am taking an aggressive approach because the tumor was thick and treatment is available! (THANK you adjuvant for Stage II approval!). It is…Read more

Recap: I was diagnosed at stage 2C about a month after my pregnancy. My tumor was FAST growing. It was flat d…Read more

Does anyone have any information, thoughts or experiences about this.

I’ve decided to start pebrolizumab soon as adjuvant…Read more

Thank you for the prompt replies and helpful information.

Martha

I am waiting for results from my tumor molecule test before I start Keytruda. My oncologist doesn’t think that the mutations results would indicate whether or not the treatment will work. I thought knowing If I was PDL positive or not we’re important. What about BRAF?

Thoughts please!

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I am thinking I should leap at this opportunity too. It will at least reduce the amount of years or intensity of my worries!

12 years NED is extremely encouraging! How do you feel now?

-Martha

I am new here. I have been lurking here for the past couple months, but the push is finally coming to shove as I have to make a treatment decision soon.

Here is my story: I was diagnosed at stage 2c shortly after my second child was born. I had had the bump checked twice throughout the pregnancy and the derm said it was…Read more