Adjuvant treatment

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Hi my consultant where i had surgery done said I qualify for adjuvant treatment. The nurse said it would be drugs or iv. But I just wondered if it means it  could be adjuvant radiotherapy because I've been sent to London free hospital. Harlow hospital sent me there. I thought harlow done immunotherapy. Worried they might have found something on pet scan. Mine is stage 3 as 3 positive lymph nodes out of 6.

  • Look at letter is says medical oncology so I guess that means adjuvant therapy.

  • Going by the NICE guidelines they typically don't offer radiotherapy in a an adjuvant way for stage 3. 

    "Adjuvant radiotherapy
    1.6.3Do not offer adjuvant radiotherapy to people with stage IIIA melanoma. [2015]

    1.6.4Do not offer adjuvant radiotherapy to people with resected stage IIIB to IIID melanoma unless a reduction in the risk of local recurrence is estimated to outweigh the risk of significant adverse effects. [2015]"

    www.nice.org.uk/.../Recommendations

    Drugs for melanoma have come a long way so I'd imagine it may be something like  nivolumab,  pembrolizumab, or like I had dabrafenib. 

  • Hello Miss Mole. We are basically in completely the same place stage wise in this journey. I have had my wider excision, graft done and just seen oncology. Much like you i have been offered adjuvant therapy but they want to do a pet scan to see if that changes anything.  To be honest it's a bit overwhelming at the moment with what seems to be daily calls and weekly appointments.  As i understand as Scot88 says it's immunotherapy I have been offfered.

  • Hi oncology appoinment was OK. They got to chase up pet scan but said the surgery most likely  got rid of it all. Got to have a few more test and scan if they are OK I will be having dabrafenib and trametinib as it was braf positive.