I just finished cycle two (two treatments per cycle) of the Keytruda/Padcev (pebrolizimab/enfortumab vedotin) today. I'm enrolled in a drug trial sponsored by Merck and Pfizer. This trial is based on some very recent studies (late 2023) that show good results fighting the particular cancer that I have. I guess I'm adding to that data.
Cycle #1 finished on June 24th and went well, although I had to work through some awful itching, rash and heartburn - but it really only lasted about ten days. Type II fun.
On May 30th, I got the results of a PET scan I had earlier that month. Although I had been "clear" for the year preceding, it showed that the cancer was back. A smallish tumor (2cm x 2cm) in my pelvis turned out to "glow" during the PET (this is a sign of the cancer metabolising sugar). With these results, my oncologist enrolled me in the trial mentioned above. He said we'd continue with this therapy until I couldn't tolerate it any more, it wasn't working, or two years- whichever of these came first. In subsequent talks with him, he said it would be unlikely that I'd make it past four cycles without some adjustment in dosage or timing (tolerance).
There's a whole story of how this all came about, starting in May of 2023. The first time I wrote about it was November 2023, when I was in the middle of my first rounds of chemotherapy. Fun times.
The good that's come from all of this is focus. I've always been a kind of a single tasking guy, and now I pair that with a reckless disregard for other people's feelings when I say "no". Except for the grandkids.
It's also ignited a special kind of friendship with one of my buddies, Craig, who's lingering in the hospital waiting for a lung transplant. We can commiserate together (actually, it's quite the opposite - it's kind of invigorating). Makes you appreciate all the little stuff just that much more.
So we'll see how cycle two goes: I know with the chemo two years ago that's when the side effects really started to kick in. Hopefully this won't be quite as traumatic.
Party on Garth.