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Should I take Nivolumab for stage 2B nodular melanoma at age 75?
Melanoma & Skin Cancer | Last Active: 6 hours ago | Replies (20)Comment receiving replies
@matt75
I am a 63 year old married guy. I have a history of melanoma, similar to your history. Clear margins, sentinel node biopsy to confirm no spread, and that ended that instance of treatment. This was 10-15 years ago, before immunotherapy came about.
I recently completed Opdivo/Nivolumab and Radiation for Merkel Cell Carcinoma (very aggressive/very rare skin cancer), stage 3 metastasis into the collar bone-area and axilla lymph nodes. I recognized the lump on the arm in October, and biopsy/follow up testing in January and it had already gone to stage 3. The "uncomfortable" side effects were very minimal; an occasional blast of diarrhea. I have also experienced some recent hearing loss (a very rare side effect, but also part of getting older. I had pre-cancer hearing aid use....) which we are currently treating with steroids to see if I can get some back.
I am scheduled for 3rd PET CT as we continue to confirm no longer present.
Having clear margins, staging confirmed by PET, etc, would certainly be a part of of my decision cycle, as would the effectiveness of immunotherapy as an adjuvant treatment.
If I were to have a recurrence of the metastatic Merkel, I would not hesitate to repeat the use of the nivolumab. In my instance, it was very effective with minimal/manageable side effects. Besides a couple extra rolls of TP, I had to get new hearing aids.
Hang in there.... a scary time, but folks are here to listen and support!
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@samueljknapp: I see you've had your share of medical interventions over the years. Thank you for sharing and for your encouragement even with some of the issues you continue to encounter and manage.
I found it interesting that when I started receiving Keytruda that the infusion staff assured me how well tolerated the treatment was. It did come as a bit of shock to me - as someone who had previously been healthy - when I did start to experience rather significant side effects that had me sidelined throughout much of the fall and winter. As you said, it is a scary time but it does help to have the support of those of us here, doesn't it?