Immunotherapy

Hi Frank, immunotherapy is only suitable for certain types of cancer, but also it is down to the certain individual. I am in the lung cancer group, where immunotherapy is one of the treatments, but I still hear from people who are not eligible for it. 

I hope the steroids will help. I guess you have to eat high calorie foods, but little and often to give it time to digest. 

Hi Frank, 

I'm sure someone will be along with a better answer soon, but I did look into immunotherapy a bit as chemotherapy didn't work for me. It seems to be used for certain types of cancer - head and neck and kidney are the ones I remember. Also my oncologist said a lot of immunotherapy is still at the trial stage and you need to be in reasonably good shape physically to participate in a trial.

Sarah

Hi , I have had immunotherapy for my cancer metastatic melanoma, but before I could be put on any treatment I had to have steroids to get me fit enough to receive treatment, otherwise treatment would have shortened rather than extended my life. Immunotherapy Pembrolizumab became available on the NHS 2 months before my targeted therapy drug stopped working and I was fit enough to be moved over to it. 

I had a look at your profile and saw you were in the oesophageal cancer group so I’m assuming that’s is your cancer type. Immunotherapy became available for certain people with that cancer type according to the link below.

https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2021/10/20/new-drug-available-for-some-people-with-oesophageal-cancer/

As others have said, you need to be well enough to receive it, and I’ve noticed with some cancer types they need to do a biopsy to check if you have certain markers in your cancer. Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab work on PD1 so that’s what they would look for in a biopsy to see if it’s likely to be successful. In melanoma we are told it won’t necessarily work and may give life long side effects if our immune system over reacts to the drug, but when it works it can give an amazing long lasting response. 

I became clear on Pembrolizumab but had a recurrence, it’s kept me going from 2016 to 2021 with minimal side effects, but it no longer works for me and I’ve started a targeted therapy drug that works on a different marker.

 I hope the link and my experience helps set some of your curiosity.

Hi KT, thanks for your reply and information link. I might have to have a look at my profile and see if I can update it. I originally had surgery for oesophageal cancer in October 2016 and was doing well. In  February last year I had a CT scan and my consultant was stunned that I had 4 tiny tumours in my lymph nodes. He said that they had been there since the surgery and was surprised that they had not grown. Normally it was such an aggressive type of cancer that he was surprised I had lasted more than 6 months LOL. I had another CT scan in May and there had been no growth in the lymph node tumours. I saw the oncologist in June she gave me information on Xelox chemotherapy from MacMillan website. It seemed potentially brutal and she said I had to weigh up quantity of life versus quality , and there was no guarantee that it would work. As I was feeling well I decided not to have chemotherapy just then. In September I had a chest infection and it wasn't shifting and I was losing weight. By the time I saw the oncologist in November I had lost too much weight, she said the chemotherapy would kill me. I've been on dexamethasone steroids for about 4 weeks and have been eating better. I wouldn't say I'm gaining weight but holding my own and I've been put on palliative care. I will continue to fight and keep going. Thanks again and kind regards Frank.

Hi Frank, I’m glad you’re keeping going and eating better, it’s a start to feeling better in ourselves I think.