Keytruda immunotherapy

Hi again, please do, anytime I know how you must be feeling. I have had nothing like the symptoms you described. I hope everything goes well. Good luck 

I had the results of my scan last week. It seems I am reponding to Keytruda acording to the Doctor, he said my cancer has shrunk but I need to carry on with Keytruda for the next 3 months then have a PET-CT scan to see if they can operate if it shrinks more. I am still having stomach cramps then diarrhoea but as soon as I have the diarrhoea the cramps going away. Sometimes this happens every 4-5 days but on other occasions it can stop for nearly 3 weeks, I presume this is one of Keytruda side effects and I am sure I can suffer this for the next 3 months or more. Compared to what I have read about other peoples side effects I count myself lucky.

Oh wonderful news Tom143 . Just delighted to hear that . Heading in a great direction .

You have a great attitude. 
Court 

Hi Tom

had 2 cycles of Keytruda now with similar side effects to yourself. Main one being diahorrea for a couple of days or so after, however that seems to return to normal so can put up with it. Still having chemo alongside and this causes the most issues but hey ho just got to get through another 2 chemo cycles then onto Keytruda alone for a couple of years. Had a CT scan last week but won’t know the results for another week. Hopefully it will show the tumour has shrunk, as I am now able to eat quite normally, when my appetite is good. The chemo unfortunately dulls my appetite for 7/9 days after treatment and I find it hard to eat well during those days, this leads to weight loss, just a few pounds but this can affect the chemo dosages so I try to keep eating, even if I don’t feel like it!

good to know you are responding well to Keytruda, hope they can operate in the future

Hi, Good to hear things are going well, I know the trouble with eating and losing weight. When I had the constipation diarrhoea I lost about 7 kilos. Just to let you know sometimes you can get a bad chest with Keytruda if you have a chest infection, on Monday very early morning I found it very hard to breathe and called the triage team who told me to coming into hospital. The gave me a nebuliser and steroids and the consultant said the chest infection was made worse by the Keytruda. Although frightening when it happened after a while I found it easier to breathe again, it just seemed to go. I have never had an asthma attack but I would think it would be similar. Apparently this only happens to about 5 % of people on Keytruda. I thought I would mention it just in case it happens, as I said at first it can be very frightening but it will pass. They are going to give me a PET-CT scan in July beginning of August from what I have read Keytruda should show good results after about 6-7 cycles but can take longer, like with the cancer everyone is different. I asked about if it was working after about to cycles when I was there all the could say was how do you feel before you started and have you feel now, although I know how your chemotherapy effects this. I really hope things go well I have read so many good stories how it has helped so let’s look on the positive side for both of us.

Hi, just had the results of my pet ct scan, Keytruda has shrunk my tumour by 90% I now have a choice of operation or carry on with Keytruda. Both have pluses and minuses not sure what to do

I’ve been reading your posts and am delighted to hear that your tumour has shrunk so dramatically. Fantastic result. I’m waiting for molecular analysis results, so will be keeping my fingers crossed that it may open up the same treatment for me. What a big decision you now have to make. When I was considering my limited options, the oncologist said to take into account trips to the hospital, quality of life and longer term outcomes. Looking forward to seeing what you decide and how you get on in the future. Best of luck.

Yippee , this is just amazing ! What an encouraging bit of news to get although now it requires a decision! Are you leaning in one direction over the other ? Was it tolerable for you . 
Good point made above about the volume of hospitals visits in the future . A lot to be weighed up .

Take care ,

Court 

Hi, first of all I have all my fingers crossed for you Jools! here's hoping things will go your way. Have you heard yet? Keep us informed. As for what I decided to do? well I had my copy of the oncologists letter to my doctor, in it he states that if I was on chemo he would be recommending the operation, but seeing as I am immunotherapy and I have had excellent response there is no need to think it won't carry on responding. One thing he did write was seeing I have stage 2 locally advanced colon cancer, immunotherapy has not been the neoadjuvant treatment for this before, and there are no clear trial results to say how things will go.  I could go for the operation and the cancer will be gone, or I carry on with the immunotherapy and hope the cancer will be killed. If I have the immunotherapy I will have a scan in 3 months to see what's happening, so really I see no problem about carrying on with the immunotherapy, which is what I decided to do, if it comes back after three months I can then have the operation. I will keep a post to let everyone know how things are going. As for your question is the treatment tolerable, I would have to say I have had a few things as mentioned before but these have all gone except of a dry mouth and no taste buds.

The best laid plans of mice and men!! I had decided to see how things go without having an operation and keep receiving the Keytruda, but an unusual side effect has come into effect. I didn't know that immunotherapy, given to you to help with cancer, can actually give you cancer!! It looks like it might have given me Basel Cell Cancer, which is a form of skin cancer. It is nothing bad, doesn't spread etc... in fact the first appointment I was given to see the skin doc was February 30th 2024 so not much to worry about. But they have to stop my Keytruda, to be honest I am not that disappointed, it gets you down after month upon month. The plan now is to have a CAT scan, which I have today. Next a PET CT Scan which happens in a couple of weeks. If the PET scan is clear and the CT scan shows that the cancer has pulled away from my duodena and liver I still might be able to use the wait and see approach which would be ideal. But I will have to wait till I see my Oncologist at the end of October, that if Doctors strikes don't delay things.