Pembrolizumab and axitinib

Hi SJR1

Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to the online community. As a new member I hope you’re finding the community posts helpful to look at.

My name is Paula and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

 Sounds like your dad has been through a lot and is still struggling with the side effects of cancer treatment, due to a combination of drugs. Therefore, I can understand your concerns and the distress its causing you seeing dad in discomfort and pain.

Here at Macmillan, we can give general advice and support. We are an independent charity and don’t have access to medical records. We cannot give personalised information,

We would suggest as dad has bad side-effects; to report your concerns to the chemotherapy unit or 24-hour chemotherapy contact number dad should have been given as soon as possible. They would want to hear if he is experiencing any problems and in an ideal position to assess his symptoms and to review his current treatment regime.

In some cases, his team can request further test and investigations as other factors alongside his treatment could be exacerbating his side-effects. The team may consider reducing the dose of dad’s current treatment or delaying it for a week or two to enable the side-effects to lessen. It’s important dad gets that review so his symptoms can be managed appropriately. You might find this booklet helpful to look at.  

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle whilst going through cancer treatment can be beneficial for many people. It can help to manage fatigue and improve dad’s quality of life. Here are common questions asked about diet and cancer. You can discuss this with dad’s team.

I know it can be a challenging time supporting a family member with a cancer diagnosis. I am pleased you reached out for support. There is a range of other organisations that you may find helpful including Kidney Cancer UK. They offer support to patients and families. You may find our kidney cancer and family and friends forum useful to look at also.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch.

You can always give us a call. You can talk to one of our nurses on the support line. It’s a free phone number on 0808 808 0000 and we are here 7 days a week, 8am-8pm or email us. 

Ref: PW/SB

Thanks a ton Paula, means a lot.