Keytruda shrinks Mesothelioma tumours

Hi from Lou

As you can see from my subject title - Keytruda is having remarkable shrinkage on my tumours!  As I have peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma Keytruda is amazingly shrinking both areas and including shrinkage of fluid! Results below of scan compared to my last scan on 19/5/15.

CT CHEST; ABDOMEN AND PELVIS
Postcontrast imaging and comparison made with the study of 19/5/15.
Chest: The patient is cachetic . No pericardial or pleural effusion; norpleurally based soft tissue mass. No enlarged lymph nodes. There are several very small pulmonary nodules bilaterally; the largest of which lies within theapico-posterior segment of the left upper lobe. These have not progressed. No aggressive bone lesion.

Posterior right thoracotomy.Abdomen and Pelvis: An ovoid hypodense lesion within the periphery of the rightlobe measures 16mm in diameter and is entirely unchanged. It is solid rather than cystic and was not present in an earlier CT from 2006. Remaining solid viscera are unremarkable. There is a fat containing lesion of the left kidney consistent with an incidental angio myolipoma.

The gallbladder and biliary tree are normal.No ascites.  No significantly enlarged lymph nodes. Acystic lesion adjacent to the inferior tip of the liver seen on the previous examination is no longer present. Within the region of the Pouch of Douglas; a mildly thick-walled irregularly shaped cystic lesion; which appears to be separate from bowel loops; has reduced in size since the prior examination and is less complex in appearance. It currently measures approximately 80 x 30mm axially. Pelvic surgical clips. No aggressive bone lesion. L2 anterior vertebral body height loss.

Conclusion: Improved appearances compared with the previous examination including resolution of a cystic lesion adjacent to the right liver lobe; and size reduction of cystic lesion in the Pouch of Douglas. Elsewhere the disease is stable.

Lou’s comments:
So amazing are these results especially on peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma given that I was prior to this treatment dying - weight was rapidly decreasing … it is stable atm  45.3 kilos, my body was shutting down and I was extremely fatigued.

Today I am off all medications including morphine/anti nausea tablets and if I have a niggly ache then I just take some panadol osteo tablets and have a lie down for an hour or so.

Every day I am getting stronger, back to basic cooking and housework, enjoying going out for a couple of hours and starting to walk faster and for longer periods.  Plus oxygen is needed less and less!  So amazing results.  I had No. 5 Keytruda dose overnight in hospital on Weds 1 July along with 2 units of blood in a transfusion.  I am not making many red blood cells … .

Keytruda on PBS (free list) from 1 September 2015 
Keytruda was announced by the Government on Sunday 28 June 2015 that it will be put on the free list, unfortunately it will only be for melanoma cancer as it has had remarkable results.  I would like to see Keytruda on the free list for all cancers including Mesothelioma as it has the potential to help so many others, especially where other treatments have failed.