Understanding Jimmy Carter’s Surprise Cancer Turnaround: A Conversation with Jedd Wolchok

How about PMP? Does this work on appendix cancer?

Is immunotherapy a possible treatment option (with radiation) for uterine cancer in lieu of chemotherapy for low grade tumors? Can MSK assist with this treatment?

Thank you all at MSK for your research and results. It is now two years since I was diagnosed with Melanoma. Dr. Callahan has treated me for the entire time at MSK and has been absolutely terrific; in addition to treating me with Keytruta she has been very supportive and professional. Two years ago when diagnosed I was sure that I had received a death sentence. I am still here and doing well. Thank

Good Morning -My spouse has stage IV melanoma that has spread to brain, lungs, liver and pancreas -He has had surgery to brain and lungs -He had 10 sessions of Radiation and currently immunotherapy every 3 weeks -We will not know if this has helped until repeat scans in December -He gets severe pruritis a fete immunotherapy so they prescribe Decadron by mouth -The oncologist told he he would have to be on Immunothrerapy for the rest of his life -Is this true? How can we afford this? What are the after affects of prolonged immunotherapy? Thanks Demy Blake

My wife was recently diagnosed with angiosarcoma of the liver, involving the lymph nodes and peritoneum lining. Would a therapy using Keytruda be appropriate?

Good Morning-my sister in law had ocular melanoma 8 years ago. One of her eyes had been taken out, after that she was recovered. She was recently diagnosed with metastic liver melanoma. Many small and two bigger tumor was found on her liver. Can immunotherapy (Yervoy, Keytruda, etc.) help for her?

Thank You for your answer

I have Stage IV Head and Neck cancer, positively testing for HPV 16. We found out recently that it has spread to my lung, and I will get my first treatment with Keytruda this week. I know that this drug has just recently been approved for Head and Neck. Was wondering how promising the results have been dealing with this type of disease, taking into consideration the HPV component. Also, I've been hearing rumblings about an HPV vaccine for patients already exposed to the virus. Does MSK offer a clinical trial for such a vaccine? Thank you kindly!

My father was recently diagnosed with primary malignant melanoma of the duodenum. He is non-symptomatic as this was discovered during a procedure for an unrelated purpose. It has metastasized to the spleen and a few lymph nodes. There isn't much information available for this rare cancer. Does the origin of the cancer play a role in the treatment or clinical trial options for IV melanoma? What might be his options?

My father was recently diagnosed with gliosarcoma. Have there been any trials showing success using immunotherapy?

My brother was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in Jan. 2016. Has undergone surgery and radiation. Now in June, PET scan shows the spread of cancer to the lymph nodes near lungs as well as lesion in the liver. Oncologists are recommending Nivolumab before the BRAF test results. Is this the right method of treatment. Patient is 67 years old. Immunotherapy was not suggested immediately after surgery in FEb. radiation completed at the end of May . Was it wrong for us to wait for immunotherapy? Recommendation now by Indian doctors is 4 treatments of Nivolumab. What is your opinion. Thank you for your reply

Have you had any experience with using immunotherapy for metastatic endometrial cancer? And if so, does it require a specific genetic mutation? Thank you.

Reading this article and seeing the influence Dr. Wolchok has had on his patients makes me immensely proud to be an employee here.

A year ago in June 2016 I was diagnosed with stage 3C metastatic ulcerated melanom,after first being misdiagnosed. I was referred to MSK and was operated on to remove the tumor and all my lymph nodes on my right side. Then Dr. Wolchok took over.I had never heard of melanoma but when I found out how aggressive it is I was devastated. Dr Wolchok took over my care and proceeded to treat me in every possible way. i had a PET scan numeros Cat scans and four weeks of radiation. I read everything I could on melanoma
and came to realize that the life span is usually short. Then Dr Wolchok started me on immunotherapy. I wish I could have had more treatments but the side effects stopped the treatments. I do hope that maybe I can continue with the treatments. I've gone through many traumas but I'm still here after 15 months thanks to Dr. Wolchock who saved my life more than once. It's because of him and Dr Weinstein that I haven't given up. It's a blessing to have him as my doctor.He is a genius but most of all a genuine human being.

D

My wife is currently in a trial with Keytruda for uterine cancer that's matastaticized to her T7, L4, L5, 4th ribs, lungs, vagina, 2 rumors on her skull that hadn't penetrated the brsin, 2 malignant pleural effusions. She's previously had surgeries (radical hysterectomy and corpectomy of T7), 6 rounds of chemo, approximately 35 to 40 radiation treatments, Gamma Knife, 2 Thorosenthesis, and is on 2ltrs oxygen 24/7. Plus she's now being treated for moderate lymphedema. Today we learned (via Pulmonary physician) that 2 lymph nodes in her left chest region are noticeably and significantly enlarged beyond normal. And an attempt today at a Thorosenthesis failed as the fluid as become gelatinous and is encased in several walled-off pockets of fibrous tissue that her body has "manufactured" to isolate that pleural fluid. OK, I shared all that to ask this: Could the significantly enlarged lymph nodes be an indicator (evidence) that the Keytruda is working and that this is some physical evidence that it's working. She's only had 2 Keytruda treatments (3 weeks apart with 3rd one today AFTER meeting with Pulmonary physician earlier)???

We asked the oncologist today if the enlarged lymph nodes was a positive sign or a cause for concern. No answer seemed to be forthcoming when we inquired. I'll attribute that to the fact that my wife apparently is the one single patient being given Keytruda for gynecologic cancer at this specific very large and reputable cancer center where she's being treated. Hopefully MKS has accumulated more research data relative to uterine cancer and just what those enlarged lymph nodes may indicate. Oh, and I'm not pitting one medical center against another here; Buy I'm curious and want every possible detail and nugget of data that's out there. Thanks.

Dear MSK, my niece is suffering from brain cancel, a tomato size brain tumour was removed from the brain, & cyber knife several small one. Her leg & arm were underwent operation added with steel plates as the bones were destroyed by cancel cells. Is keytruda treatment suitable for her? Thanking you in anticipation. Thong from Malaysia.

My 57-years-old brother, excellent state of health, suffered an acute CVA (stroke). CT showed metastatic lesion, biopsy-proven melanoma. His lungs and the spleen has nodules. Primary skin found. Devastating. Speech improved but hemiplegia persist after hematoma evacuation. I am thankful for your thoughts. He is a resident of Uruguay, South America. Keytruda is not on the formulary there.

Hoping to read positive immunotherapy treatment for kidney cancer which spread to adrenal gland, Had kidney and adrenal gland removed. A recent cat scan shows that it has now spread to T11 on spine.

My 57 yr old brother was diagnosed with melanoma first of March 2006. It came up as a lump under his arm. Dr said it was all clustered and contained in that one spot. He had surgery to remove that cluster; one sentinel node closest to the cluster tested positive. He did ipilimumab infusions for a year without side effects. His followups were all clear. But last Friday he learned that he has a spot on the lung. The Drs said it was small and that they had been watching it for a couple of his followups but thought it was scar tissue. They saw a change in it this time and that's when they told him it was melanoma. This Friday he is scheduled for brain scan and to start the pembroliazmab (sp?) infusions. The article said Pres Carter had radiation and the pembro- infusions. I understood it to say he had Gamma Knife on brain. Did he have any radiation on liver? If my brother's brain scan is clean, is only the pembro- infusion therapy best in his case or would it be more effective to combine radiation with it? (My brother is the 5th person in our family to be diagnosed with melanoma. He is being treated at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Center.)

I have stage IV melanoma and have been taking opdivo for 2 yrs with CT scans of chest, pelvis and abdomen along with MRI of brain being all clear. How long should I take opdivo before stopping. I have no real side effects from drug but some short of breath when climbing stairs. Started off with high dose yervoy but had to stop after 3 treatments, it ruined my pituitary and thyroid glands so I have to take hydrocortisone and synthyroid.

Are you still answering questions here? I have a brother with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma. He had great success with tafinlar for one year, then switched to Opdivo and again great success with controlling lung tumors and others in his body, but NOT doing anything for a 5.2 cm liver tumor. Should he switch to Keytruda or other immunotherapy to deal with that? We are thinking about surgery to remove the tumor too to slow it's growth. Embolization is another option we think. Seems weird that Opdivo has worked on controlling and skrinking every tumor, especially the lung tumors and hasn't done a thing for the tumor on his liver. So far, normal function of the liver and blood tests normal. Please let me know what you suggest.

My husband had a nonmalignant tumor removed from his cerebellum last week at MGH by Dr. Pamela Jones. He also had one removed from his spinal cord seven years ago, which they controlled afterwards with radiation. Due to the pervasive presence of melanocytes in his brain observed during last week’s surgery (and he has four thickened areas on his meninges), he has been diagnosed now with Diffuse Leptomeningeal Melanocytosis, a very rare condition. Do you think there is any possibility that Keytruda or anything else that’s been developed lately would help him?