Journal entry by Spencer Sowell —
I wanted to share a few more details on next steps with treatment and the reasons for the treatment:
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is the drug her oncologist is recommending and she will begin as soon as next week with an infusion every 3 weeks. There are minimal side effects, unlike chemo. Immunotherapy is used to treat existing cancer with the goal of decreasing the amount of cancer present, preventing growth (progression) and spread (metastasis) of that cancer.
This could have been her first treatment option if she opted to go with MD Anderson's recommendation earlier this year with a clinical trial but she decided not to since Dr. Naumann of Levine didn't think she had enough time to spare with the steps needed to be accepted into a clinical trial, and patients aren't even guaranteed to receive the drug being testing with clinical trials so luckily the standard chemo worked well and we have this as an additional option now.
My mom also sent this message earlier today and I wanted to share with everyone on here:
Although it was incredibly good news that my most recent CT scan showed no new cancer or tumors, my oncologist (who I met with yesterday) has encouraged me to “proactively” undergo immunotherapy via infusion every 3 weeks to “keep recurrence” at bay….the type of cancer I have likes to recur so…..he says immunotherapy is a “game-changer” thus, of course, I have agreed to begin this treatment as soon as insurance approves. I have incredible confidence in my oncologist!
No biggie, 30 minutes….Side effects are minimal….no hair loss, tiredness, etc. some concern my arthritis could rear its ugly head but that’s a small price to pay for prevention.
I continue to appreciate and rely on your love and support…..it sustains me each and every day. I continue to fight and with your help will surely prevail.
That's it for now!
Thank you all,
Spencer
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