The most recent test results for Paul’s tumor blood marker and new MRI scans continued to improve. The marker level is now down to 6 and the doctor says although it may vary as would any test, as long as the level is below 37 it means there are no measurable active live cancer cells. The doctor feels the cancer is basically gone or reduced to dead scar tissue. Paul asked if it could recur. The doctor explained that often when a cancer patient shows no signs of any more disease after chemo or radiation therapy, it comes back later because there are still a few cancer cells lurking in the body that are too few to show up in tests, but eventually begin to grow into a new tumor. However, the immunotherapy Paul is getting is different. This is all very new and there is limited data concerning the long-term results of a Lynch Syndrome patient with Pancreatic cancer that was successfully treated with Keytruda.

But the doctor hopes that after being treated with Keytruda, Paul’s immune system will maintain the ability to attack and kill any Pancreatic cancer that shows up in his body for the rest of his life. He expects it to work like a vaccination. Once you are vaccinated your body can fight off that disease for many years into the future. He thinks the chances that Pancreatic cancer will come back in Paul’s body are very slim. In fact, his feeling is that any type of cancer that is related to the Lynch gene mutation will be attacked and killed by Paul’s immune system as a result of the Keytruda treatment. So Paul should also be resistant to those types of cancers in the future. The Lynch gene related cancers in men are stomach, breast, intestinal, pancreatic, liver, prostate, urinary tract, kidney, and bile duct cancers. He says research is ongoing to learn more, but he doubts any of those will grow in Paul’s body after the Keytruda treatment.

So we asked if based on the latest test results and everything else we discussed, can we say Paul is doing good?

His answer was: “No, not doing good, I would say you are doing EXCELLENT!!!”