Interferon treatment

Hi, I’m going to be starting treatment with interferon soon and was wondering what other people’s experiences have been. I would like to think I could continue working, but would like to know if other people have been able to, what the major side effects are, etc. Thanks!

Hi,
Thirteen years ago I was on a investigation study for high dose Interferon at the Sylvester Center in Miami. I had 4 weeks of IV Interferon and the 3 injections weekly, I gave myself for 10 months after that. I was able to continue working throughout. I had flu like symptoms, aches and pains, fever. And I slept a lot more. I reduced my hours a little at work, and got more help at home. Just adjust your pace to 3rd. gear instead of 5th.
You can do it, good luck.
d.

Hi,

Thanks for the input. My oncologist said it was not an easy treatment, with people reporting difficulties with concentration, etc. Did you experience those kind of problems? Were you able to work at all during the first month? It makes sense to me that that might be the toughtest time since you receive it every day.

May I ask what stage you were diagnosed with? I have been told that the cancer centers in the Eastern United States don’t even use interferon anymore and I’m just trying to get as much information as I can.

Thanks again!

dmn melanoma-cpt4005@lists.careplace.com wrote:

At the time I had my melanoma off it was a Clarks level 1 and they did not
do node mapping or any treatment other than excising the lesion. The first
dermatologist missed the margins which bothered me but it was so small I
tried not to get too panicky about it. I ended up having it re-excised by
the same person. I then saw a guy who specialized in this area in removing
melanomas and he did a 3rd excision. That was 12 years ago and I have done
fine until recently. About 6 months ago I developed vitiligo, ignored it
at first (denial and hugh mistake) and then when I went in for a physical
had all other causes of the vitiligo ruled out. I had a CT last week that
was clean except for two tiny spots in my right lung. They aren’t certain
what they are and I have to have a repeat CT in 6 months. I go to the derm
oncologist this week to have mulitple lesions taken off/and or biopsied. I
found out the person I had been seeing here was really only a dermatologist
who takes moles off. He had seen me several months ago, the vitiligo was
there then, and he didn’t mention it. Soooo, now it is a sort of wait and
see game, they (the new melanoma specialists I am seeing) think the
melanoma is trying to come back somewhere, that my body if fighting it (the
vitiligo), and now they have to try to find where it is to decide what to
do next.

Needless to say I am quite concerned. From everything I have read, folks
do better if the melanoma is surgically removed. Most of the centers
(except MD Anderson and John Wayne) are moving away from surgery and
treating with different agents. Interlukin, vaccines, etc. I haven’t
gotten that far into this yet to know which way I will go. If any of the
skin lesions they take off come back positive I am assuming they will do
sentinel node tracing and they we will go from there.

Please keep me posted on how you are doing.

[Original Message]
From: krmrptr melanoma-cpt4005@lists.careplace.com
To: prush1@mindspring.com
Date: 6/17/2007 12:32:58 PM
Subject: Re: [melanoma] Interferon treatment

Hi,
It was so long ago that I not 100% sure, but I think it was stage III. I had a mole removed from my upper thigh, then soon after 11 lymh nodes from my groin. One was positive. That is when I went on the Interferon. Until recently I was fine (for 12+ years) and just in the last two months things are changing. I now have a had a tumor removed, several centimeters below the original mole. It came back malignant melanoma. Since then I had another wide excision, which came back clean, and a pet scan that was good also. Now my oncologist in Dubai, that’s where we live, has suggested I contact MD Anderson and Sylvester about another clinical study.

I didn’t have trouble concentrating, I was just tired. Especially in the late afternoons. So what I did was I went to work early and left early. That seemed to help me. But I can tell you that I would do it again, for sure.

Good Luck and keep in touch,
Dianne

From: krmrptr melanoma-cpt4005@lists.careplace.com
Date: 2007/06/17 Sun PM 01:32:58 EDT
To: dianneastin@bellsouth.net
Subject: Re: [melanoma] Interferon treatment

Earlier this year I went to a Derm., she looked at my tumor, it was under the skin and said not to worry about it. I have always had this strong belief that you need to listen to your body. So if you don’t like what you hear from one Dr. see another. I did, and my tumor was malignant melanoma.
Good luck.
Dianne

From: PJP melanoma-cpt4005@lists.careplace.com
Date: 2007/06/17 Sun PM 10:32:30 EDT
To: dianneastin@bellsouth.net
Subject: Re: [melanoma] Interferon treatment