Keytruda/Pembro to treat MSI high/DMMR BRAF v600E colon cancer

[davidwatt]

Hi,
My first topic on this forum as I live in the UK. Am a 38 year old high school teacher.
Diagnosed 9th march 2016, symptoms since 2nd Jan 2015.
I have used my life savings of 14 years which were supposed to be for a mortgage to buy a home to pay for Keytruda to treat my cancer.
So far I have had 6 doses and things seem to be going well, around 30 to 40% srinkage on my 4 infected lymph nodes around my waist and some tissue.

My main question is has anyone else with colon cancer and a braf mutation had immunotherapy to treat their cancer and how had it gone?
I could not get onto any suitable trials.
The only evidence I have found of someone else with the same mutations has been quite positive, http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Amikar ... on-cancer/
He is a 54 year old male with identical mutations and missing the same two genes in his cancer as mine, MSH1 and PMS2.
He seems to have got to NED status. The difference being he is on a trail and getting 1000mg of Pembro every 2 weeks, whereas I am self funding and getting 200mg every 3 weeks, so his dose seems around 6 times higher.
Regards
David

[Maia]

Hi, David

We have a fellow, from the UK too, Tim, who is MSS BRAF mutant --that, as you probably know, might be considered tougher to crack than MSI-high mutant. He has been on trial NCT02650713 with RO6958688 (CEAxCD3 bifunctional) + Atezolizumab (anti PDL1). https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02650713 Keytruda is anti PD-1, atezo is anti PD-L1 --goes against the ligand-- but you can think they are similar enough.
You can read about him here on this forum; search for this posts: search.php?author_id=97376&sr=posts

If you are in the UK, you have a great trial with pembrolizumab PLUS a most promising immuntotherapy --a STING inhibitor:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03010176

Don't think only Keytruda --pembrolizumab-- will work for MSI-high -- you can go for any trial with other anti PD-1 or anti PD-L1
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02554812
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02499328

[davidwatt]

Thank you Maia,
How do you find all of these trials, google?
I have heard of tim, read a few of his posts, as well as DK37.
The first trial you listed seems interesting, but has not started to recruit patients yet according to the Royal Marsden, the hospital where it is based in UK.
I have had 6 cycles of pembro, and so far all 5 bits of cancer seem to be shrinking quite well. About cycle 12 to 14 will run out of money so then may need to consider trials.
The way it has gone so far, I might reach NED status at cycle 12. Most people seem to continue to cycle 16 at least who are on trials.
Regards
David