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← Return to Cystectomy for muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), now Keytruda
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Cystectomy for muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), now Keytruda
Bladder Cancer | Last Active: Feb 6 9:08am | Replies (10)Comment receiving replies
My husband was diagnosed in October 2023 with stage IIIB MIBC. It had spread to his prostate and lymph nodes. We had chemo with Gemcitobine and cistplatin and then removal of bladder, prostate and lymph nodes. We had our 3 month follow up CT which showed an area of concern. We did a biopsy which came back negative. He was doing great with his neobladder for about 3 months then noticed an increase in mucous and then he had his first uti. He then woke up one morning unable to void. That’s when the issues started. After numerous phone calls to the physician we did another CT and now have another area of concern. We are scheduled for a biopsy and depending on results may need to start keytruda and padcev. Has anyone been through this treatment? If so would you share your experience?
Replies to "My husband was diagnosed in October 2023 with stage IIIB MIBC. It had spread to his..."
@jaebug my husband has been through radical cystectomy/prostatectomy/neobladder surgery at Mayo Clinic in 12/21. He had many complications in the year after including abscess at site with neobladder leakage, ureter blockage and surgical repair, hydronephrosis necessitating nephrostomy tube, multiple hernias from incisions, and UTI. His final repair was almost a year ago in March, and the last year has been better. No cancer recurrence is a good thing. Prior to surgery he did spend several months on a trial of Keytruda alone, which was not successful in controlling his aggressive cancer. It affected his appetite so foods didn't taste right and caused him to be hypothyroid. Other than weight loss from diminished appetite the treatment was tolerable. I know they are having better success by combining this immunotherapy with other drugs now. Try not to be discouraged at the setbacks. These are just bumps in the road to be dealt with and move on. There is a future ahead where the road can smooth out and the new normal life returns. Be strong and be glad that new treatments are always becoming available/
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@jaebug, that sounds like a lot of worry and you wait for answers. I'm tagging members like
@steenrl @sepdvm @davidpball @drzemke who may have related experiences to share.
Also see this discussion:
- Any EV-Pembro (enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab) experiences https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ev-pembro-combined-treatment-experiences/
Jaebug, has your husband had the CT scan in the meantime? What did you learn?