Hello everyone. I wanted to give everybody an update on my status in the anti-LAG-3 trial.
Cycle 2 is finished for me, and I had my end of cycle scan on October 6. As before, the news wasn't terrible but it also wasn't clearly positive. My chest lymph nodes are slightly larger than they were in the scan I had at the end of cycle 1. There is another node in my chest that is measurable now under the RECIST criteria, and an enlarged node in my right armpit that Dr. Sharfman said had been there, but was now also large enough to be measurable.
Dr. Sharfman said that he would have liked to see things going in the right direction, but that the results were not enough to make him recommend that I come off the trial at this time. He said that some people have responded slowly to the anti-LAG-3 antibody, and given that the cancer is still confined to my lymph nodes he wanted to give it one more cycle.
So that's where things stand. Dr. Sharfman seemed visibly disappointed that I hadn't responded better, but he seemed to think there is still a chance that my response might ramp up. My next scan is in early December. At that point it looks like it may be decision time about other possible treatments.
Hi Bill, sorry that it isn't better news but remember what early Ipi results were like!!! It took months for some patients to show results on scans. Is the trial straight up Lag-3 or is there another immunotherapy drug with it? Best Wishes!!!Ed
Thanks for the encouragement Ed! This is a non-randomized trial. They put you in an arm based on the type of cancer and your previous treatment experience. Some are getting just BMS986016, the anti-LAG-3 drug. But I am getting that in combination with Opdivo.
LAG3 stands for "Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3." The medication I am getting in combo with Opdivo doesn't have a name yet, it is just known as BMS986016. It is another immune checkpoint blockade. They are looking at whether patients like me who are refractory after treatment with a PD1 blocker can have their T-cells re-energized to once again start attacking the cancer.
I thought I had read somewhere that some patients in this trial were getting delayed responses but I couldn't find it anywhere. Last week that is basically what Dr. Sharfman said when he said he wanted me to stick with it for another cycle, even though the new enlarged lymph nodes have changed me from "stable disease" to "progressive disease."
I haven't seen that specific data…doesn't mean it's not so!!!! In fact, it makes sense that response WOULD be a bit delayed….as it is with immunotherapy generally. Hang tough. c
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