Fourth Infusion and Feeling Fine!

Today Mark had his fourth infusion.  We got there around 1 pm and left at 5:30 pm - it seemed a bit slower than usual.  In three weeks he will have the last infusion of Ketruda combined with the clinical trial drug Galectin.  From then on our visits will take much less time with just 30 minutes of Ketruda along with blood draws, a doctor visit and waiting for the results of the lab work before the infusion can begin.  The Galectin took an hour, plus an hour wait before starting the Ketruda.  

Chris who supervises the clinical trial told us today that there are currently 6 patients on this regiment at Providence Portland.  One man who has been on it for over a year, has almost total shrinkage of tumors.  The other four have unfortunately not had a positive response.  How sad and disappointing!  Mark is doing amazingly well!!  Not only are tumors shrinking, but the side effects have been minimal.  He just started having some skin rashes which are fairly common and can be treated with good creams. Fatigue is the most common side effect and he seems to keep increasing in his energy level as the tumors shrink.  

Mark found a report of the clinical trial of Ketruda (pembrolizumab) completed just a year ago.  The results are definitely the best yet for metastatic melanoma, but reading through it doesn't sound all that promising. Today we felt the reality of how blessed we are when we realized that only two of six in this new clinical have had positive progression, and he is one of them!

Study Details

KEYNOTE, a phase Ib trial, enrolled 655 patients treated. Patients were treated with pembrolizumab until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, or investigator decision.

At a median follow-up of 32 months, 358 patients (55%) had died. At 36 months, the overall survival rate was 40%.

A total of 95 patients (15%) achieved a complete response. Among them, 61 (64%) stopped treatment after complete response. Only 2 of the 61 patients who stopped treatment after complete response experienced disease progression. One of the two has been restarted on therapy, but it is too early to evaluate response, Dr. Robert said.

The most common treatment-related adverse events were fatigue (40%), pruritus (28%), and rash (23%). Only 8% of patients stopped pembrolizumab because of side effects.

Shrinking Tumors!!!

The two tumors that are just under the skin are definitely shrinking. Just days after the second infusion there was a dramatic shrinkage of the tumors that we could feel, near the surface. Ane and I are elated!!

Thanks again for your faith and prayers!! Also for the great doctors that have been working on this cure for decades.

Second Infusion and feeling better

I had my second infusion yesterday at the Providence Cancer Center. It takes about 4 1/2 hours with two different drugs, blood draws, meeting with our nurse practitioner, etc. So far the only side effect we've noticed is fatigue. So... I slow down a bit and take naps. That I can do!

It seems to me that there is less pain in my hip and shoulder tumors. Maybe the medication is working! I still use my cane to relieve the pressure on my hip joint.  Less pain is a welcome relief!

The tumors we can feel, just below the surface, might be getting smaller. At least they are not getting bigger. We are hopeful.

Thank you for your heartfelt concern, good thoughts, faith and prayers! It's already working!!

Keytruda here we come!!

I had my first infusion Friday. It was 1 1/2  hours of IV feeding with an hour break in the middle. The first hour was the clinical trial drug Galectin Inhibitor and the last 30 minutes was the Keytruda. The most common side effect is fatigue - and I got that! I don't have much energy. I sit and lie around most of the day. I have some occasional nausea, but not too bad. We are hopeful that the fatigue means the immune system is busy taking down the cancerous tumors:-) I also still have the pain from a tumor in my left hip which makes me hobble a bit and pain in my left shoulder and a few other places. My feelings seem a bit tender, too.

I am so grateful for all that I have. I have a wonderful wife that helps and supports me through everything!! I love her so much. I have a delightful family, our children and their spouses and their children are just amazing. My mother and sisters are also so supportive and loving as well as their spouses. I have wonderful supportive friends at church and work - I am so amazingly blessed!! I know why I am here on this earth and where I am going afterwards, and I know that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me and has wonderful plans for me. I am blessed in so many ways!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!