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A diagnosis of skin cancer or finding a suspicious spot can be frightening. Experts from the Skin Cancer Foundation and members can help you through the maze of diagnosis and treatment.

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Ipilimumab
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Valeriana438 posted:
My husband has metastatic melanoma. The latest scan shows it's in both lungs, both kidneys and his liver. He also has over 100 skin mets. He has tried Temodar with radiation, when that didn't work he tried Zelboraf. Other than giving him massive side effects, it did nothing. Now he is on ipilimumab. He has had two out of four treatments. He has had new mets appear on his upper and lower abdomen as well as his lower back since starting the Ipi.
My question:
Since the melanoma has metastasized as much as it has, at what point does one determine whether or not the Ipi is working?
2 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:IpilimumabMy husband has metastatic melanoma. The latest scan shows it's in both lungs, both kidneys and his liver. He also has over 100 skin mets. He has tried Temodar with radiation, when that didn't work he tried Zelboraf. Other than giving him massive side effects, it did nothing. Now he is on ipilimumab. He has had two out of four treatments. He has had new mets appear on his upper and lower abdomen as well as his lower back since starting the Ipi.<br />My question:<br />Since the melanoma has metastasized as much as it has, at what point does one determine whether or not the Ipi is working?
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Elizabeth_WebMD_Staff responded:
Hello Valeriana438 -

Wow, we are so sorry to hear what your husband is experiencing and can't imagine what your family is going through at this time.

You have a very good question and unfortunately it is impossible to answer without knowing much more about your husband.

Please print out what you wrote here. His care coordinator or nurse may be able to present this to his doctors so they can weigh the options (side effects vs prognosis vs quality of life) with both of you to determine the next step and series of steps of treatment.

Please keep us posted,
Elizabeth
Report This| Share this:IpilimumabHello Valeriana438 - <br /><br />Wow, we are so sorry to hear what your husband is experiencing and can't imagine what your family is going through at this time.<br /><br />You have a very good question and unfortunately it is impossible to answer without knowing much more about your husband. <br /><br />Please print out what you wrote here. His care coordinator or nurse may be able to present this to his doctors so they can weigh the options (side effects vs prognosis vs quality of life) with both of you to determine the next step and series of steps of treatment.<br /><br />Please keep us posted,<br />Elizabeth
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Valeriana438 replied to Elizabeth_WebMD_Staff's response:
Thank you for your reply Elizabeth. He sees his oncologist again this Friday. We'll post the question to him then and see what he says.
Report This| Share this:IpilimumabThank you for your reply Elizabeth. He sees his oncologist again this Friday. We'll post the question to him then and see what he says.
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