Immunotherapy, Jimmy Carter's new cancer treatment, explained

Vox ^ | August 21, 2015 | Julia Belluz

[RegulatorCountry]

Regardless of what you or I think of this man personally, he’s 90. Being toast as you put it is pretty much in the cards regardless, he’s lived a long life. If his participating in a clinical trial of Keytruda (the registered trademark name of the immunotherapy in question, the medical name of which escapes me, probably something ending in -mab or -lab) leads to a breakthrough or an improvement in future treatment, then I’m all for it, and he may end up doing some good for others down the road.

[bert]

I know...... my goal is 93

I had a very close friend with similar prognosis and none of it helped him

[B-Cause]

I was diagnosed with a very aggressive bladder cancer one year ago.

My Urologist is convinced that my exposure to radioactivity while in the Army and stationed at Camp Hanford directly across the Columbia river from the 8 nuclear reactors running at several times their designed power levels to create weapons grade plutonium in the 1950s is the major cause.

Two surgeries, followed by 12 BCG treatments, and current biopsies are inconclusive.

BCG is an immunotherapy, and has been around for several years.

Below is a link to some brief information on BCG.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1950803-overview

[RegulatorCountry]

Immunotherapy is sort of touch and go at this point, as I understand it. If you’re one of the really lucky 15% or so, your tumors disappear or you go into complete remission. 50% or so see a reduction in tumor size and their lives are prolonged, measured in years. The rest see no benefit or even die from complications from side effects, such as the immune system attacking the thyroid.

[Tired of Taxes]

Thanks for the info, B-Cause. I hope those inconclusive results mean that the treatments have done their job.

[kagnew]

Not unless Jimmy served in the military for at least 20 years and I believe he only served 4 years, so no Tricare.