Made it to 2 year mark...

[TrojanGirlie]

When my husband developed Stage 4 rectal cancer 2 years ago, the prognosis was not good. They gave him months to live and said he probably wouldnt make it to the 2 years mark. Thanks to the information, advice, and support from this board we were able to advocate to use Keytruda and he has been doing amazing!! He's also doing Xeloda so he has minor side effects from that, but he can take breaks from it when he needs to. At its peak in October his CEA was close to 400 and in less than a year it's dropped to 2.5. But my advice for Stage 4 patients and their caregivers is when your medical team is telling you it is hopeless, keep researching and visit a bigger cancer center (for us it was UCLA), because there might be something new on the horizon. On the downside, as a Lynch Syndrome family, his mother was just diagnosed with rectal cancer, so it feels like we are starting all over again, but we definitely feel more confident. So thank you all for your kindness, positivity, and support when everything seemed hopeless.

[lovelife789]

Very good news!!! Hope to see your post at 5 year mark!!

[Lee]

Thank you for the update. That Keytruda is a game changer for a lot of people.

Keep up the good job,

Lee

[WarriorSpouse]

Excellent advice to get a second opinion from a major cancer center. This is where the most experience and information is available to get the maximum benefit.
Well done! Congratulations on the 2 year mark. We hope to see many more ahead.
WS

[stu]

Fantastic news . You sound like a good team . Looking forward to many more positive updates .
All the best to his mum too!!
Best foot forward ,
Stu

[henry123]

When my husband developed Stage 4 rectal cancer 2 years ago, the prognosis was not good. They gave him months to live and said he probably wouldnt make it to the 2 years mark. Thanks to the information, advice, and support from this board we were able to advocate to use Keytruda and he has been doing amazing!! He's also doing Xeloda so he has minor side effects from that, but he can take breaks from it when he needs to. At its peak in October his CEA was close to 400 and in less than a year it's dropped to 2.5. But my advice for Stage 4 patients and their caregivers is when your medical team is telling you it is hopeless, keep researching and visit a bigger cancer center (for us it was UCLA), because there might be something new on the horizon. On the downside, as a Lynch Syndrome family, his mother was just diagnosed with rectal cancer, so it feels like we are starting all over again, but we definitely feel more confident. So thank you all for your kindness, positivity, and support when everything seemed hopeless.

Congrats TrojanGirlie.
Consider genetic testing for all blood relations.
Any one found positive for Lynch Syndrome should consider aspirin besides intensive routine scanning as advised by genetics ppl.
Best wishes.