How quickly does Yervoy shrink tumors?

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  • Post
    • December 28, 2013 at 5:06 am
    Patina
    Participant

      Hi,

      Does anyone here know or have they experinced a reduction in visible tumors within weeks of taking Yervoy?  I can't find anything on this and wonder if anyone knows how good a sign this might be or not…

      My Mother was diagnosed with stage IV and later brain mets.  She had gamma knife radiation for lesions on her brain and 4 days later had her first infusion of Yervoy. 

      She had a very large tumor on her neck and 18 small to large tumors on her scalp.  There were 8 small lesions on her brain.

      Two weeks later the tumor on her neck has shrunk by 50% and the tumors on her head are now hard compared to what they had been.  She still have 3 more treatments of Yervoy and I'm wondering how positive this might be or not…  

      She goes in 3 weeks to get a MRI of her brain and we might know what is happening with her scalp, but its encouraging that the tumor on her neck is much smaller.

       

       

       

       

    Viewing 11 reply threads
    • Replies
        • December 28, 2013 at 8:12 pm
        Julie in SoCal
        Participant

          Hi Patina,

          I can't tell you how fast Yervoy is supposed to work, but it sounds like it's working for your mother.  50% shrinkage in 2 weeks sounds like a good response.

           

          Dancing the happy dance with you!

          Julie

           

          • December 28, 2013 at 8:12 pm
          Julie in SoCal
          Participant

            Hi Patina,

            I can't tell you how fast Yervoy is supposed to work, but it sounds like it's working for your mother.  50% shrinkage in 2 weeks sounds like a good response.

             

            Dancing the happy dance with you!

            Julie

             

              • December 31, 2013 at 7:06 am
              Patina
              Participant

                Thanks. I'm glad this is really good news and not just what is normaly expected.

                • December 31, 2013 at 7:06 am
                Patina
                Participant

                  Thanks. I'm glad this is really good news and not just what is normaly expected.

                  • December 31, 2013 at 7:06 am
                  Patina
                  Participant

                    Thanks. I'm glad this is really good news and not just what is normaly expected.

                  • December 28, 2013 at 8:12 pm
                  Julie in SoCal
                  Participant

                    Hi Patina,

                    I can't tell you how fast Yervoy is supposed to work, but it sounds like it's working for your mother.  50% shrinkage in 2 weeks sounds like a good response.

                     

                    Dancing the happy dance with you!

                    Julie

                     

                    • December 29, 2013 at 7:57 pm
                    arthurjedi007
                    Participant

                      Wow. That sounds wonderful. I get my 3rd Yervoy dose tomorrow. They told me any med side affects means Yervoy is working. To visibly see it shrinking tumors sounds like a very good thing.

                      • December 29, 2013 at 7:57 pm
                      arthurjedi007
                      Participant

                        Wow. That sounds wonderful. I get my 3rd Yervoy dose tomorrow. They told me any med side affects means Yervoy is working. To visibly see it shrinking tumors sounds like a very good thing.

                          • December 31, 2013 at 6:46 am
                          Patina
                          Participant

                            We had heard that some side effects could be good too.  So we are keeping our fingers crossed.

                            We were surprised by how fast things started to change when we had not been expecting much.  The first things she experienced was hot/tingling around the tumors and that started on the 2nd day.  At night around 4 days in it became so uncomfortable that she would have to sleep on her stomach because it was too uncomfortable to rest her head on either side.  She also has 5 areas in her trunk with small tumors.  So, it will be interesting to see if the other areas on her chest and back correlate to they areas where they found the other tumors.  

                            She was very very tired from day 5 to 12, but has sense then recovered most of her normal energy.  

                            I did talk to someone and they said that it is a good sign when the tumors get hard because it means the T-cells are attaching the tumor.  It would be nice if the information on Yervoy included this type of information.  I've looked all over to see what it mean if the tumors got hard and was just hoping that it was a good sign.

                             

                             

                             

                             

                             

                            • December 31, 2013 at 6:46 am
                            Patina
                            Participant

                              We had heard that some side effects could be good too.  So we are keeping our fingers crossed.

                              We were surprised by how fast things started to change when we had not been expecting much.  The first things she experienced was hot/tingling around the tumors and that started on the 2nd day.  At night around 4 days in it became so uncomfortable that she would have to sleep on her stomach because it was too uncomfortable to rest her head on either side.  She also has 5 areas in her trunk with small tumors.  So, it will be interesting to see if the other areas on her chest and back correlate to they areas where they found the other tumors.  

                              She was very very tired from day 5 to 12, but has sense then recovered most of her normal energy.  

                              I did talk to someone and they said that it is a good sign when the tumors get hard because it means the T-cells are attaching the tumor.  It would be nice if the information on Yervoy included this type of information.  I've looked all over to see what it mean if the tumors got hard and was just hoping that it was a good sign.

                               

                               

                               

                               

                               

                              • December 31, 2013 at 6:46 am
                              Patina
                              Participant

                                We had heard that some side effects could be good too.  So we are keeping our fingers crossed.

                                We were surprised by how fast things started to change when we had not been expecting much.  The first things she experienced was hot/tingling around the tumors and that started on the 2nd day.  At night around 4 days in it became so uncomfortable that she would have to sleep on her stomach because it was too uncomfortable to rest her head on either side.  She also has 5 areas in her trunk with small tumors.  So, it will be interesting to see if the other areas on her chest and back correlate to they areas where they found the other tumors.  

                                She was very very tired from day 5 to 12, but has sense then recovered most of her normal energy.  

                                I did talk to someone and they said that it is a good sign when the tumors get hard because it means the T-cells are attaching the tumor.  It would be nice if the information on Yervoy included this type of information.  I've looked all over to see what it mean if the tumors got hard and was just hoping that it was a good sign.

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                 

                              • December 29, 2013 at 7:57 pm
                              arthurjedi007
                              Participant

                                Wow. That sounds wonderful. I get my 3rd Yervoy dose tomorrow. They told me any med side affects means Yervoy is working. To visibly see it shrinking tumors sounds like a very good thing.

                                • December 30, 2013 at 2:32 pm
                                Gene_S
                                Participant

                                  Hello,

                                  My husband and I watched as his skin leions shrunk until they were not there.  We didn't see a response as quickly as your Mother  had but I would say it is a good sign.  If you want to read more about my husbands experience check out his profile.

                                  Judy (loving wife of Gene Stage IV and now NED)

                                  • December 30, 2013 at 2:32 pm
                                  Gene_S
                                  Participant

                                    Hello,

                                    My husband and I watched as his skin leions shrunk until they were not there.  We didn't see a response as quickly as your Mother  had but I would say it is a good sign.  If you want to read more about my husbands experience check out his profile.

                                    Judy (loving wife of Gene Stage IV and now NED)

                                    • December 30, 2013 at 2:32 pm
                                    Gene_S
                                    Participant

                                      Hello,

                                      My husband and I watched as his skin leions shrunk until they were not there.  We didn't see a response as quickly as your Mother  had but I would say it is a good sign.  If you want to read more about my husbands experience check out his profile.

                                      Judy (loving wife of Gene Stage IV and now NED)

                                        • December 31, 2013 at 6:47 am
                                        Patina
                                        Participant

                                          Wow. I read what he's gone through.  It is great.  Here's to another year with no sign of melanoma.

                                          • December 31, 2013 at 6:47 am
                                          Patina
                                          Participant

                                            Wow. I read what he's gone through.  It is great.  Here's to another year with no sign of melanoma.

                                            • December 31, 2013 at 6:47 am
                                            Patina
                                            Participant

                                              Wow. I read what he's gone through.  It is great.  Here's to another year with no sign of melanoma.

                                            • December 30, 2013 at 7:58 pm
                                            JerryfromFauq
                                            Participant

                                              Two weeks is much faster than normal and is GREAT.  Some cases wher Yervoy (+IPI) has been administered have taken anywhere between two weeks and as much as a fullyear to sshow results.  Very glad for your quick response.  Pray that it will be one  of the lo0ng last responses.  (MAYBE even a cure?)

                                               

                                              • December 30, 2013 at 7:58 pm
                                              JerryfromFauq
                                              Participant

                                                Two weeks is much faster than normal and is GREAT.  Some cases wher Yervoy (+IPI) has been administered have taken anywhere between two weeks and as much as a fullyear to sshow results.  Very glad for your quick response.  Pray that it will be one  of the lo0ng last responses.  (MAYBE even a cure?)

                                                 

                                                • December 30, 2013 at 7:58 pm
                                                JerryfromFauq
                                                Participant

                                                  Two weeks is much faster than normal and is GREAT.  Some cases wher Yervoy (+IPI) has been administered have taken anywhere between two weeks and as much as a fullyear to sshow results.  Very glad for your quick response.  Pray that it will be one  of the lo0ng last responses.  (MAYBE even a cure?)

                                                   

                                                    • December 31, 2013 at 7:05 am
                                                    Patina
                                                    Participant

                                                      That would be terrific!  My Mom doesn't do anything halfway so that would be great 🙂

                                                      We are very hopeful that things will look up for her. Its been a very stressful few months with waiting to get into a trial, mixups with labs and then the radiologist missing the brain mets…  We were really hoping to get her into a trial with the new PD-1 drugs, but with brain mets she couldn't get right into the trails once the knew they were there… 

                                                      She is BRAF positive too, so we are hoping to keep as many options as there are open for her.  We've also heard that the PD-1 drug from Merck might be available as early as March for compationate use.  So, if things turn in the oppisite direction we might have this as an option.

                                                       

                                                       

                                                      • December 31, 2013 at 7:05 am
                                                      Patina
                                                      Participant

                                                        That would be terrific!  My Mom doesn't do anything halfway so that would be great 🙂

                                                        We are very hopeful that things will look up for her. Its been a very stressful few months with waiting to get into a trial, mixups with labs and then the radiologist missing the brain mets…  We were really hoping to get her into a trial with the new PD-1 drugs, but with brain mets she couldn't get right into the trails once the knew they were there… 

                                                        She is BRAF positive too, so we are hoping to keep as many options as there are open for her.  We've also heard that the PD-1 drug from Merck might be available as early as March for compationate use.  So, if things turn in the oppisite direction we might have this as an option.

                                                         

                                                         

                                                        • December 31, 2013 at 7:05 am
                                                        Patina
                                                        Participant

                                                          That would be terrific!  My Mom doesn't do anything halfway so that would be great 🙂

                                                          We are very hopeful that things will look up for her. Its been a very stressful few months with waiting to get into a trial, mixups with labs and then the radiologist missing the brain mets…  We were really hoping to get her into a trial with the new PD-1 drugs, but with brain mets she couldn't get right into the trails once the knew they were there… 

                                                          She is BRAF positive too, so we are hoping to keep as many options as there are open for her.  We've also heard that the PD-1 drug from Merck might be available as early as March for compationate use.  So, if things turn in the oppisite direction we might have this as an option.

                                                           

                                                           

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