Hi Everyone,
We got a second round of good news after treatment for my Mom. She's had really good results with both ipi/Yervoy and gamma knife radiation so far. Today her doctor reported that she had no new brain mets and that all the CT scans look terrific. – The 18 tumors on her scalp are pretty much gone. Just a speck left really. When this started I'd estimate that if you had to measure the total volume of the masses on her head and neck that it would be about 1/6 of a cup. Maybe more… – I could have strangled her when I found out what was going on. She didn't tell me! Stubborn lady!
The long and short of it is that this is another story of someone who's had a great response and things looked really grim a few times.
Melanoma treatment has come a long way in the last few years and is only getting better. I hope in my lifetime melanoma won't be so hard to fight and that there is a cure soon. – Baring that, longterm treatment and management that give everyone the quality of life they want…
HISTORY:
My Mom was diagnosed in November of 2013 (age 77) and after seeing 4 specialists (one of which diagnosed her with brain mets that a radiologist "overlooked") and thinking about the options she opted to go with gamma knife radiation and ipi 4 days later.
In short she had: 2 infusions, got colitis and thrush, had a few hospitalizations due to colitis, finally got the 3rd infusion, got colitis again and then a new radiologist (3rd) treated 16 new tumors in April…
—Terrific tretment at USC in Los Angeles with Dr. Wong and Dr. Chang. And many thanks to Dr. Peter Bosoberg at the Los Angeles Clinic. – He found the undiagnosed brain mets.
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