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New Brain Met after a year in the clear…
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New Brain Met after a year in the clear…

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › New Brain Met after a year in the clear…

  • Post
    • April 6, 2015 at 4:44 pm
    Ashley
    Participant

      For those with Brain mets, how do you deal with them?  Are any of the therapies that you are on crossing the blood brain barrier?  Do you get yours radiated as they pop up?  And does it work?

      My dad has had 3 brain mets to date, not counting the new one found today.  2 were resected via a craniotomy and then radiated.  The last one was radiated.  All 3 were totally gone for almost the past year.  Then scans today revealed another one popping up (only about 1cm).  They feel that they can radiate it easy enough, but I'm just scared of what is next.  There are clearly cells in his brain with melanoma, so this could happen again at any time.  What is working to rid the brain of melanoma, other than surgery and radiation?

    Viewing 5 reply threads
    • Replies
        • April 6, 2015 at 5:00 pm
        arthurjedi007
        Participant

          Keytruda and I assume the other pd1 opdivo as well. But for sure keytruda. Granted like all meds they don't always work but seems to be good for a lot of people including brain.

          Artie

          • April 6, 2015 at 5:00 pm
          arthurjedi007
          Participant

            Keytruda and I assume the other pd1 opdivo as well. But for sure keytruda. Granted like all meds they don't always work but seems to be good for a lot of people including brain.

            Artie

              • April 6, 2015 at 10:43 pm
              Ashley
              Participant

                Thanks, he's on Opdivo… So I'm guessing that doesn't cross the bbb…

                • April 6, 2015 at 10:43 pm
                Ashley
                Participant

                  Thanks, he's on Opdivo… So I'm guessing that doesn't cross the bbb…

                  • April 7, 2015 at 12:04 am
                  ed williams
                  Participant

                    Ashley you might want to look up Celeste's profile, she goes by "Bubbles" and go to her blog. This is one of her favorite topics, and a topic that causes a lot of confusion for many. Wishing you the best! Ed 

                    • April 7, 2015 at 12:04 am
                    ed williams
                    Participant

                      Ashley you might want to look up Celeste's profile, she goes by "Bubbles" and go to her blog. This is one of her favorite topics, and a topic that causes a lot of confusion for many. Wishing you the best! Ed 

                      • April 7, 2015 at 12:55 am
                      Ashley
                      Participant

                        Thanks Ed!

                        • April 7, 2015 at 12:55 am
                        Ashley
                        Participant

                          Thanks Ed!

                          • April 7, 2015 at 1:43 am
                          arthurjedi007
                          Participant

                            Yes Opdivo keytruda yervoy and all the immunotherapies cross the blood brain barrier. These meds activate your tcells to hunt down the cancer and they go anywhere including the brain. Celeste on her blog has statistics and things in detail about it.

                            Artie

                            • April 7, 2015 at 1:43 am
                            arthurjedi007
                            Participant

                              Yes Opdivo keytruda yervoy and all the immunotherapies cross the blood brain barrier. These meds activate your tcells to hunt down the cancer and they go anywhere including the brain. Celeste on her blog has statistics and things in detail about it.

                              Artie

                              • April 7, 2015 at 1:43 am
                              arthurjedi007
                              Participant

                                Yes Opdivo keytruda yervoy and all the immunotherapies cross the blood brain barrier. These meds activate your tcells to hunt down the cancer and they go anywhere including the brain. Celeste on her blog has statistics and things in detail about it.

                                Artie

                                • April 7, 2015 at 12:55 am
                                Ashley
                                Participant

                                  Thanks Ed!

                                  • April 7, 2015 at 12:04 am
                                  ed williams
                                  Participant

                                    Ashley you might want to look up Celeste's profile, she goes by "Bubbles" and go to her blog. This is one of her favorite topics, and a topic that causes a lot of confusion for many. Wishing you the best! Ed 

                                    • April 6, 2015 at 10:43 pm
                                    Ashley
                                    Participant

                                      Thanks, he's on Opdivo… So I'm guessing that doesn't cross the bbb…

                                    • April 6, 2015 at 5:00 pm
                                    arthurjedi007
                                    Participant

                                      Keytruda and I assume the other pd1 opdivo as well. But for sure keytruda. Granted like all meds they don't always work but seems to be good for a lot of people including brain.

                                      Artie

                                      • April 7, 2015 at 2:06 am
                                      Bubbles
                                      Participant

                                        Hi Ashley,

                                        Sorry for what you and your dad are going through.  Yes, Artie and Ed are correct.  I am the nerd in melanoma world.  Here's the deal (at least in part) about treatments for melanoma brain mets:

                                        A general overview of treatments:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/02/overview-of-treatments-for-melanoma.html

                                        How BRAF inhibitors work for brain mets:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/05/vemurafenib-really-does-work-on.html

                                        How anti-PD1 (Keytruda AND Opdivo) work on brain mets:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/06/anti-pd1-in-melanoma-t-cells-brain-and.html

                                        Melanoma is not like other cancers.  New immunotherapies are not like old time chemo.  They don't have to cross the blood brain barrier!!!  The t cells they stimulate do!  AND…they do!!!  Hope this helps.  Use the search bubble in the top left of my blog if you want more info.  Best, Celeste

                                        • April 7, 2015 at 2:06 am
                                        Bubbles
                                        Participant

                                          Hi Ashley,

                                          Sorry for what you and your dad are going through.  Yes, Artie and Ed are correct.  I am the nerd in melanoma world.  Here's the deal (at least in part) about treatments for melanoma brain mets:

                                          A general overview of treatments:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/02/overview-of-treatments-for-melanoma.html

                                          How BRAF inhibitors work for brain mets:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/05/vemurafenib-really-does-work-on.html

                                          How anti-PD1 (Keytruda AND Opdivo) work on brain mets:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/06/anti-pd1-in-melanoma-t-cells-brain-and.html

                                          Melanoma is not like other cancers.  New immunotherapies are not like old time chemo.  They don't have to cross the blood brain barrier!!!  The t cells they stimulate do!  AND…they do!!!  Hope this helps.  Use the search bubble in the top left of my blog if you want more info.  Best, Celeste

                                            • April 20, 2015 at 4:59 pm
                                            Ashley
                                            Participant

                                              Thanks Celeste for your response.  I'm just not sure I believe that the PD-1's are able to work in the brain. The trial my dad has been on has reduced tumors everywhere in his body (37% so far), however we now have a new brain met… nothing new anywhere else for the past 8 months.  Maybe I'm just a pesimist but given the new met in the brain, i'm really concerned that we're always going to have to be worried about the brain even though he's considered a responder on the trial.

                                              • April 20, 2015 at 4:59 pm
                                              Ashley
                                              Participant

                                                Thanks Celeste for your response.  I'm just not sure I believe that the PD-1's are able to work in the brain. The trial my dad has been on has reduced tumors everywhere in his body (37% so far), however we now have a new brain met… nothing new anywhere else for the past 8 months.  Maybe I'm just a pesimist but given the new met in the brain, i'm really concerned that we're always going to have to be worried about the brain even though he's considered a responder on the trial.

                                                • April 20, 2015 at 4:59 pm
                                                Ashley
                                                Participant

                                                  Thanks Celeste for your response.  I'm just not sure I believe that the PD-1's are able to work in the brain. The trial my dad has been on has reduced tumors everywhere in his body (37% so far), however we now have a new brain met… nothing new anywhere else for the past 8 months.  Maybe I'm just a pesimist but given the new met in the brain, i'm really concerned that we're always going to have to be worried about the brain even though he's considered a responder on the trial.

                                                • April 7, 2015 at 2:06 am
                                                Bubbles
                                                Participant

                                                  Hi Ashley,

                                                  Sorry for what you and your dad are going through.  Yes, Artie and Ed are correct.  I am the nerd in melanoma world.  Here's the deal (at least in part) about treatments for melanoma brain mets:

                                                  A general overview of treatments:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/02/overview-of-treatments-for-melanoma.html

                                                  How BRAF inhibitors work for brain mets:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/05/vemurafenib-really-does-work-on.html

                                                  How anti-PD1 (Keytruda AND Opdivo) work on brain mets:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/06/anti-pd1-in-melanoma-t-cells-brain-and.html

                                                  Melanoma is not like other cancers.  New immunotherapies are not like old time chemo.  They don't have to cross the blood brain barrier!!!  The t cells they stimulate do!  AND…they do!!!  Hope this helps.  Use the search bubble in the top left of my blog if you want more info.  Best, Celeste

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