Absoluteley. I have 2 Tumours, one near my spine and one on my right lung and the last 4 scans (every 6 months) they cant see them and I've had no new tumors. This is the best result we could have hoped for after getting the diagnosis. This is due to the Pembro
the two choices for me were pembro for the year or no medicine n be scanned for year to check nothing else appears.
I would rather be pro active and be seen to be doing something to give me a better chance of this never coming back. Counting down the 9 treatments and praying for the best.
hoping to continue with a relatively normal life with work / life balance etc.
I was diagnosed with Stage 3c wild melanoma back in November of last year and after a wide excision in the middle of my back and sentinel node removal, I began pembrolizumab treatment via cathport in January 2021. Another lump was located after I had undergone 5 cycles of tri-weekly Keytruda and my treatment was suspended while I underwent a complete lymph node removal of my left armpit (axillary).
I was given the all clear to resume treatment a few weeks back and had my latest course on 13th August which was my first cycle for 4 months and as of next Friday (3rd Sept), I'll start doubling up the treatment and be infused every 6 weeks. The 'new' lump was in situ prior to the immunotherapy treatment so it wasn't a reflection of the drug not working but perhaps not working 'quick enough'.
As others have said, the main side effect is the lethargy for a few days immediately afterwards. It's like I'm losing power and when I plug myself in, I'm only charging up at 1% an hour so it takes a while before I resemble myself again. I'm 54 (next month), 110kg (17 stone in English) and 6 feet 5 inch tall so not sure if my 'mass' has a bearing on my tiredness post-treatment although I have lost 3 stone (healthily by changing diet and upping my exercise) since I began treatment in January.
I also get given anti-sickness tablets by the hospital post-treatment as I do have initial pangs of nausea and the odd mouth ulcer / gum boil rears its head in the immediate days after treatment but in comparison to a lot of other treatments, I feel it's small cheese to contend with considering the positives and advantages of the treatment.
