update on my husband–Stage 4 brain met

I looked back at some earlier posts and it sounds like your husband Pete is quite a warrior. Lots of battles with this stupid disease in his brain. Just wanted to say I hope he recovers from the surgery good. Also immunotherapy like ipi and pd1 has been proven to help in the brain because it doesn't have to cross that blood/brain barrier. It is his own cells doing what they should be doing. Of course like all these medicines everyone is different so what works for one does not necessarily work for another but maybe it will. Good luck.

Artie

I looked back at some earlier posts and it sounds like your husband Pete is quite a warrior. Lots of battles with this stupid disease in his brain. Just wanted to say I hope he recovers from the surgery good. Also immunotherapy like ipi and pd1 has been proven to help in the brain because it doesn't have to cross that blood/brain barrier. It is his own cells doing what they should be doing. Of course like all these medicines everyone is different so what works for one does not necessarily work for another but maybe it will. Good luck.

Artie

I looked back at some earlier posts and it sounds like your husband Pete is quite a warrior. Lots of battles with this stupid disease in his brain. Just wanted to say I hope he recovers from the surgery good. Also immunotherapy like ipi and pd1 has been proven to help in the brain because it doesn't have to cross that blood/brain barrier. It is his own cells doing what they should be doing. Of course like all these medicines everyone is different so what works for one does not necessarily work for another but maybe it will. Good luck.

Artie

Artie is exactly right.  We now know that anything from immunotherapies (ipi and anti-PD1) to the BRAF inhibitors for patients with that mutation can have effects on brain mets.  Additionally, the combination of radiation with those meds may boost their effect as well.  Here are some post that may help:

An overview of treatments in general for brain mets from Oct 2013:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/02/overview-of-treatments-for-melanoma.html

Specific treatments for brain mets discussed at ASCO 2013:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2013/06/brain-mets-in-melanomathe-latest-from.html

Data re: ipi and radiation:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/01/ipi-and-radiationa-good-combo-for.html

An explanation of HOW anti-PD1 can work in the brain:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/06/anti-pd1-in-melanoma-t-cells-brain-and.html

A report of BRAFi and brain mets from ASCO 2014:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/05/vemurafenib-really-does-work-on.html

Good luck.  Perhaps some of the information may be of help.  I wish you and your husband my best.  Celeste

Artie is exactly right.  We now know that anything from immunotherapies (ipi and anti-PD1) to the BRAF inhibitors for patients with that mutation can have effects on brain mets.  Additionally, the combination of radiation with those meds may boost their effect as well.  Here are some post that may help:

An overview of treatments in general for brain mets from Oct 2013:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/02/overview-of-treatments-for-melanoma.html

Specific treatments for brain mets discussed at ASCO 2013:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2013/06/brain-mets-in-melanomathe-latest-from.html

Data re: ipi and radiation:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/01/ipi-and-radiationa-good-combo-for.html

An explanation of HOW anti-PD1 can work in the brain:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/06/anti-pd1-in-melanoma-t-cells-brain-and.html

A report of BRAFi and brain mets from ASCO 2014:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/05/vemurafenib-really-does-work-on.html

Good luck.  Perhaps some of the information may be of help.  I wish you and your husband my best.  Celeste

Artie is exactly right.  We now know that anything from immunotherapies (ipi and anti-PD1) to the BRAF inhibitors for patients with that mutation can have effects on brain mets.  Additionally, the combination of radiation with those meds may boost their effect as well.  Here are some post that may help:

An overview of treatments in general for brain mets from Oct 2013:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/02/overview-of-treatments-for-melanoma.html

Specific treatments for brain mets discussed at ASCO 2013:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2013/06/brain-mets-in-melanomathe-latest-from.html

Data re: ipi and radiation:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/01/ipi-and-radiationa-good-combo-for.html

An explanation of HOW anti-PD1 can work in the brain:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/06/anti-pd1-in-melanoma-t-cells-brain-and.html

A report of BRAFi and brain mets from ASCO 2014:  http://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/2014/05/vemurafenib-really-does-work-on.html

Good luck.  Perhaps some of the information may be of help.  I wish you and your husband my best.  Celeste

Some really good points made above. If you go on the Memorial Sloan Kettering web site and look for Dr Jed Wolchok you will find a paper he presented in the abscopal effect sometimes brought on by simultaneous SRS radiation and Yervoy treatments. Not sure what the treatment and insurance protocols are regarding getting Yetvoy or Keytruda for brain mets after surgery but since there is a little bit of the tumor left you can definitly say there is still evidence of disease and perhaps you can make the case to get one of the immunotherapy treatments along with the SRS radiation to the tumor bed. My Sept 2013 right temporal lobe brain surgery then Oct 2013 SRS radiation of the tumor bed has not seen a recurrence in that spot. One thing I must mention- Your husband will likely be on steroids for brain swelling post surgery for a few weeks. Remember that they reduce ones resistance to colds and flu, etc. After going home just 3 days after the surgery we some family members over. One brought a 2yr old with a bad cold and runny nose who was running wild through the house and it put me in the ER then hospital for 3-4 days. I think that beat me up more than the brain surgery. Good luck! 

Some really good points made above. If you go on the Memorial Sloan Kettering web site and look for Dr Jed Wolchok you will find a paper he presented in the abscopal effect sometimes brought on by simultaneous SRS radiation and Yervoy treatments. Not sure what the treatment and insurance protocols are regarding getting Yetvoy or Keytruda for brain mets after surgery but since there is a little bit of the tumor left you can definitly say there is still evidence of disease and perhaps you can make the case to get one of the immunotherapy treatments along with the SRS radiation to the tumor bed. My Sept 2013 right temporal lobe brain surgery then Oct 2013 SRS radiation of the tumor bed has not seen a recurrence in that spot. One thing I must mention- Your husband will likely be on steroids for brain swelling post surgery for a few weeks. Remember that they reduce ones resistance to colds and flu, etc. After going home just 3 days after the surgery we some family members over. One brought a 2yr old with a bad cold and runny nose who was running wild through the house and it put me in the ER then hospital for 3-4 days. I think that beat me up more than the brain surgery. Good luck! 

Some really good points made above. If you go on the Memorial Sloan Kettering web site and look for Dr Jed Wolchok you will find a paper he presented in the abscopal effect sometimes brought on by simultaneous SRS radiation and Yervoy treatments. Not sure what the treatment and insurance protocols are regarding getting Yetvoy or Keytruda for brain mets after surgery but since there is a little bit of the tumor left you can definitly say there is still evidence of disease and perhaps you can make the case to get one of the immunotherapy treatments along with the SRS radiation to the tumor bed. My Sept 2013 right temporal lobe brain surgery then Oct 2013 SRS radiation of the tumor bed has not seen a recurrence in that spot. One thing I must mention- Your husband will likely be on steroids for brain swelling post surgery for a few weeks. Remember that they reduce ones resistance to colds and flu, etc. After going home just 3 days after the surgery we some family members over. One brought a 2yr old with a bad cold and runny nose who was running wild through the house and it put me in the ER then hospital for 3-4 days. I think that beat me up more than the brain surgery. Good luck!