New treatment

I met with my doctor to discuss the results of my latest scan and the news is, well, mixed. There are still no hot spots on the PET scan, but the largest tumor has actually increased in size a small amount. The remaining tumors appear to have developed resistance to the chemotherapy.

My doctor says she wants to intercept this new trend early and switch my treatment. Her new plan is to pull me from chemotherapy and start immunotherapy instead. This type of treatment takes a different approach in that it doesn’t attack the melanoma directly. Instead, it is an antibody, a common blood protein that stimulates the body’s immune system to a higher level of vigilance.

A healthy immune system’s T-cells attack foreign bodies, and are normally modulated by a protein called CTLA-4 that shuts down the process when it’s no longer needed. Without CTLA-4, T-cell activity can continue unchecked and become an auto-immune disease. But in the case of cancer, CTLA-4 may suppress the immune activity prematurely, giving the cancer an opportunity to grow without T-cell intervention. Research indicates that interrupting CTLA-4 can allow the immune system to continue to attack the cancer.

In a couple of weeks I’ll get my first infusion of Ipilimumab, this new drug whose name I absolutely can’t pronounce. The treatment will be simpler than what I’ve been through: one infusion every three weeks for a twelve-week cycle. Side effects can include fatigue, itchiness, rash, and diarrhea; they may be minimal, and I might even get my hair back.

How do I feel about all of this? I’m not happy to find out how resilient this damn melanoma is. It’s pretty distressing to be reminded there is still cancer in my body and it can thumb its nose at my attempts to get rid of it. Additionally, starting a new treatment fills me with the dread of the unknown. It may be simpler, the side effects may be minimal… but I don’t know that yet. I’m sure I’ll feel better about the process when it’s underway.

On the other hand, my doctor says that patients who undergo this new treatment after taking Temodar tend to do really well. Temodar may somehow set the stage for very efficient T-cell activity.

Time will tell….