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Not eligible for Immunotherapy. Now what?

Lung Cancer | Last Active: May 22 5:00pm | Replies (58)
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@dougmck

Thanks for your reply. So you were on an immunotherapy drug when you had the pneumonitis. and, if so, which one? My oncologist has told me his Keytruda patients have a higher risk of adverse effects if they've had previous radiation but seems to still want me to consider it as he's feeling like he doesn't know how to treat this anymore. I had a very large lung tumor in 2008 we defeated with radiation and chemo in 2008, and then in 2018 I started experiencing these malignant lung nodules. I'm getting ready to schedule SBRT for a fourth one which is now at 14mm. I'm a little freaked out about what to do.

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Replies to "Thanks for your reply. So you were on an immunotherapy drug when you had the pneumonitis...."
vic83 | @vic83 | May 17 10:57am

Sorry for the confusion. I have not yet been given an immunotherapy drug. My Multifocal lung cancer consists of multiple independent cancers in the lungs, usually slow growing. Maybe some are metastasis, but they are considered primary for now because not possible to know. When one is getting too big or in bad position, they threat it. I have had two VAT surgeries (one nodule each time, both stage 1 cancers) and one round of SBRT (for 2 nodules).
They mentioned immunotherapy at one point but then took it off the table after my episode of radiation-induced pneumonitis. But it may not always be off the table.
With my additional problem of pulmonary fibrosis, my risk is higher for pneumonitis episodes with various cancer treatments. I will start an antifibrotic drug for the pulmonary fibrosis.
While they need to do a lot of research, the interesting question is whether such drugs might help protect me against pneumonitis outbreaks from any cancer treatments I need. From that one could ask if such a drug could also be useful for "pure" cancer patients against pneumonitis.....of course the answer to that question has got to be a long way off

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