Immunotherapy

Hi Malc616b94 

I am delighted to hear you are getting this treatment first .  There has been a lot of changes in practice in bowel cancer and this seems one development. But a good one .  
If you use the search function you might find some posts as I remember reading about a man who had a wonderful response.

The side effects list is daunting but  most people get there . My mum had a few different side effects but what we learnt was to speak up as they had seen it all before and had other interventions to help balance things out . A small dose reduction removed a lot of my mums . 
There is an immunotherapy group I think so you might find more info there as some other groups have been using it for a lot longer !

Heres to lots of shrinkage!

Court 

Hi, my husband (75 years old)  is on a clinical trial with those drugs. He had his first dose 11 days ago. He's having a double dose to begin with. Every 21 days for 4 times. 

He had a high temperature -38+ and sweated heavily for the first 3 days and was advised to take paracetamol which lowered it. 6 days in he became very weak, muscle pains and struggled to get out of a chair and go up stairs. He was advised to go to the hospital where they gave him antibiotics as they thought he may have an underlying infection or a virus. He has improved a lot since then although still has weak muscles and moves slowly. His temperature has been normal now for 2 days. He has lost 5kg as he is eating less but still eating healthily. 

Its a steep learning curve as each day is different. He sees the oncologist again next week ready for his second treatment on 8th. 

Thanks for your reply. I hope your husband's improvement continues as the treatment progresses. The studies suggest that the combination is relatively well tolerated by most patients but of course there is always variation between how individuals react. The good news is that the outcomes of the treatment do appear to be very promising. I have my first cycle on the 16th and my second is booked for Jan 6th. I have never known time pass so slowly whilst waiting to get things moving! Best wishes to both you and your husband.