Please can someone advise if they are in a similar situation to me? Sorry in advance for the long post!
My Dad has stage 4 melanoma. He was originally diagnosed in last year when the cancer had come back in his liver and stomach (he had stage 3 cancer which was removed many years ago).
We were told that the new growths couldn’t be removed and advised of treatment options to control the cancer. My Dad opted for immunotherapy however, early this year the scan results showed that the immunotherapy hadn’t worked and the cancer was now in 9 areas of his body including his brain.
He then tried targeted treatment (Braftovi and Mektovi tablets) which shrunk the tumours and we continued to see good scan results right up until last week. His latest scan showed that there are new small tumours that have developed. The oncologist advised that my Dad cannot continue treatment on the tablets as they aren’t controlling the disease.
However, the oncologist said they were surprised by how well my Dad is looking and therefore have given him another month of tablets. I’m confused as if the tablets aren’t working, then why has he been given more? If he is getting some benefit from the tablets, then why do they want to take him off them after 1 month? He is still generally healthy right now and it seems that whilst the tablets aren't stopping the tumours growing, they might be helping slow things down and improving his quality of life.
My Dad has been given the option to try chemotherapy (Dacarbazine on a drip), although the oncologist said that there is around a 10% chance of this working and that it will make him very ill. I’ve done my own research and whilst is does look like there is a low chance of a response, there is the possibility that it will help him live longer and even potentially remove the tumours. We're really not sure if it is worth having the chemotherapy because of how ill it will make my Dad. Would it be better to let him make the most of the time he has left instead.
If anyone has had a similar experience, please can they let me know their thoughts on the chemotherapy treatment option?
Thank you
