My body's immune system after cancer

Thank you for your inquiry @lifetraveler . I had over 2 years on Libtayo infusions with decreasing frequency after my metastasis on the kidney disappeared on this drug. My oncologist suggested stopping it last April due to the poor appetite and tiredness side effects. Scans were still clear last July and I am returning to Mayo next week for 6 month scans and recheck. I feel pretty good in this new normal.

I believe cancer patients have both genetic and environmental factors in this disease process. There are many lifestyle changes that my cancer brought about. Diet is certainly the biggest one. There is a book that I loved so much that I bought it for every family member. Written by Dr. Ed Creagan, a Mayo palliative care doctor, the title is How Not to be My Patient. I reread this book frequently to keep all of his suggestions fresh in my mind. I recommend it to anyone who wants to do what they can to live a healthier life, but most especially cancer patients.
Good luck with this new cancer battle. I think you would enjoy this book to help you feel you are doing everything possible to improve your health.

Thank you so much for sharing your valuable experience, Sue!

I just saw this post right now, and realized that it had been posted almost 2 years ago... How have you been, Sue? Could you please let us know more about your situation of squamous cell carcinoma, please? I had SCC on my chest that was identified by my PCP back in December, 2016, during my annual physical exam. Had a surgery done in February of 2017 to remove the cancerous cells by an oncological surgeon, and never had any thoughts about it until my PCP found out I had a lump of tumor in my breast during my last year's physical exam in early November. Even though I was told that my SCC and current Breast cancer are different cancers, but I can't help wondering what have I done to myself to incur these diseases of various cancers at different time in life? How do we do to prevent it from happening again?

Hope your health has been improving greatly and you're proceeding happily, my comrades in fighting this disease!

I have had radiation with a targeted therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, after my initial surgery, but no immunosuppressive chemo. I have had 3 surgeries plus a kidney biopsy over 10 years for metastases. I am currently on a checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. After each surgery, it was months before I started to feel human again, and you have had many surgeries over a very short period of time. Your full recovery will most likely be quite prolonged. As soon as I finished radiation, I began an Immune Augmentation Therapy for cancer at a clinic which is located in the Bahamas, and has a track record for prolonging the lives of cancer patients. I have been on the therapy for over 9 years now. While it entails self administered injections of human serum factors and cytokines, I also received information on boosting your immune system naturally. Since I started on this treatment plus supplements, I rarely get a cold or viral infection. I may have incurable stage 4 metastatic SCC, but I am living well with it and not getting sick. I can visit with grandkids and not come away with a cold. Even my Mayo doctors believe that what I am doing has prolonged my life. One supplement I have taken since I began the immune augmentation is some form of 1,3 D beta glucan. This is derived from mushrooms or yeast and also has substantial research evidence in improving immune function. There are many brands available online and in health food stores, but doing your own research shows that Glucan Elite and the Transfer Point product may have the most effective production methods. I am also recommending the book The Rebel's Apothecary by Jenny Sansouci. It is a veritable bible of information on medicinal mushrooms as well as cannabis (which I have not tried). Since reading this book I think I understand more about the supplements I have been on and why they work, and have added a mushroom blend to my daily routine in coffee. These are NOT the hallucinogenic mushrooms, but the safe and edible ones that have been used for hundreds of years in Eastern medicine. She has the education and has done the research into the use of these supplements. So I encourage you to do your own research on improving immune function, because in addition to the suggestions above, which are very important, there is more that you can do. Our oncologists are our primary source of guidance in the medical/surgical pathway, but there is more out there to look into to help yourself. Be careful what you read and try to stick with articles from medical professionals and National Institute of Health where you can find actual research. As for masks, I may never stop wearing one. The past two years have shown us all that proper mask wearing and handling and hand washing will cut your viral exposure way down. It is tough to do at home, but if you are getting so much exposure with the little germ factories, it may be worthwhile. Good luck with boosting your immune system.

I have had radiation with a targeted therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, after my initial surgery, but no immunosuppressive chemo. I have had 3 surgeries plus a kidney biopsy over 10 years for metastases. I am currently on a checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. After each surgery, it was months before I started to feel human again, and you have had many surgeries over a very short period of time. Your full recovery will most likely be quite prolonged. As soon as I finished radiation, I began an Immune Augmentation Therapy for cancer at a clinic which is located in the Bahamas, and has a track record for prolonging the lives of cancer patients. I have been on the therapy for over 9 years now. While it entails self administered injections of human serum factors and cytokines, I also received information on boosting your immune system naturally. Since I started on this treatment plus supplements, I rarely get a cold or viral infection. I may have incurable stage 4 metastatic SCC, but I am living well with it and not getting sick. I can visit with grandkids and not come away with a cold. Even my Mayo doctors believe that what I am doing has prolonged my life. One supplement I have taken since I began the immune augmentation is some form of 1,3 D beta glucan. This is derived from mushrooms or yeast and also has substantial research evidence in improving immune function. There are many brands available online and in health food stores, but doing your own research shows that Glucan Elite and the Transfer Point product may have the most effective production methods. I am also recommending the book The Rebel's Apothecary by Jenny Sansouci. It is a veritable bible of information on medicinal mushrooms as well as cannabis (which I have not tried). Since reading this book I think I understand more about the supplements I have been on and why they work, and have added a mushroom blend to my daily routine in coffee. These are NOT the hallucinogenic mushrooms, but the safe and edible ones that have been used for hundreds of years in Eastern medicine. She has the education and has done the research into the use of these supplements. So I encourage you to do your own research on improving immune function, because in addition to the suggestions above, which are very important, there is more that you can do. Our oncologists are our primary source of guidance in the medical/surgical pathway, but there is more out there to look into to help yourself. Be careful what you read and try to stick with articles from medical professionals and National Institute of Health where you can find actual research. As for masks, I may never stop wearing one. The past two years have shown us all that proper mask wearing and handling and hand washing will cut your viral exposure way down. It is tough to do at home, but if you are getting so much exposure with the little germ factories, it may be worthwhile. Good luck with boosting your immune system.

Thank you so much for your prompt reply that means a lot to me. I am scared I start my round two of chemo next week and also another CAT scan to see if round one chemo has reduced my tumors at all. I am scared I’m in denial and I am alone. At 63 I never thought I would be dealing with this. I am trying to stay positive but I do need to find a mentor and a volunteer that I can talk to you who understands. Thank you again and have a good night.

Thank you so much for your prompt reply that means a lot to me. I am scared I start my round two of chemo next week and also another CAT scan to see if round one chemo has reduced my tumors at all. I am scared I’m in denial and I am alone. At 63 I never thought I would be dealing with this. I am trying to stay positive but I do need to find a mentor and a volunteer that I can talk to you who understands. Thank you again and have a good night.