Robert Macaulay

Kleo If you ever have to go for a colonoscopy you will never have to worry about your pipes. Trust me on that one.😎 Bob

Kleo Good to hear from you again just thinking about how you were keeping yesterday as you would have been nearly finished Durva by now. That was so funny what she was telling you that you were good to go.😎. Friends keep asking how is your treatment doing one more to go next week to be honest no idea till the scan in Sept as long as I am stable and no progression i will be happy till December Ct. Have you considered a crash course in Punjabi. Bob

RonH I can understand your involvement as i worked closely with many Mechanical Engineers over the years young and old in the oil and gas industry. Each individual handles there treatment and doctors visits differently, I prefer to let the doctor do all the talking as i have had limited speech since my cancer operation in 2003 Larengectomy and usually i am happy with that. I get my treatment done at private clinic as Imfinzi are paying for all my treatment but my doctor at the local hospital is the one that approves my infusions after viewing my blood work. I see Onc every three months with Teleconference for scan results and direction going forward saves 400 mile round trip and she has set one up for Sep-6 at the local heath center it does not bother waiting for results not much i can change.But i do plan ahead due to my stint in planning dept for three years at work.😎

Opal Yes 22,000 Views Yes i will update on my condition as time goes on. in Canada we do not get copies of our scans not that i want them anyway. And i can only go what the doc says if she is happy so am i. The more people that complete the full treatment and report there condition good or whatever will help those still in treatment going forward. Bob

Opal Thanks Yes time just flies when your having fun and overTwenty two thousand views in one year and growing.The intresting part for me is just starting once you stop the drug. What next Que Sera Sera😎 Just back in from one hour great walk on the trails with the dog

RonH Come to think about the ONC test MY onclogist ordered that test and it was a once only never did see the results.As soon as my thyroid went ballistic the doc ordered blood tests done for t3 and t4 and still monitors those to this day for my thyroid tsh which is now back to normal.It will be intresting once i stop this drug if all my blood work goes back to normal whatever that might be now.

DFK Your well on your way with the drug and i like this statement stands out for me. A wise MD told me to let the drugs take care of my cancer, my job is to take care of my body. I try to eat nutritiously, exercise and most of all, drink 8-9 glasses of water a day. I also follow the above r regime and have my last infusion in 11 days. Bob

Tomm I just checked my blood work chart and prior to infusion #8 my creatinine shot up to 1.2. Strange, Then it slowly went down i am still high around 1,1 and have to watch my protein intake amongst other things .Couple of other things to watch are your blood counts WBC and RBC Also Hemoglobin if low can cause Anemia which i have right now. Every two weeks it was always something different either going up or down. Bob

RonH Great to here things are settling down for you, and to be still working that is feat in itself, The standard procedure calls for 26 infusions to completion. Yes there is a high attrition rate with this drug and i was aware prior to starting last August, also i said to the doctor last week i would do it all over without hesitation despite the side effects, As long as this drug stops progression and i am stable and scans are good it can stay in my system for ever and ever.This is now seventeen months of treatments /appointments and i will use your quote I kind of got the impression that as long as the CTs / MRI indicated no progression, that we move on to a “wait and see” period. That has been my doctors statement from the beginning and i expect the same reply come Sept-7 when she gets my Ct results. Your on the home stretch to #26 Bob

So very important to view your blood work, To see the changes this drug is making on your system.Creatine i had to alter my diet, Thyroid went ballastic, t3. t4 checked ect ect.My Hemoglobin is way down again, But one more to go and bring out the iron pills and the antibiotics. and maybe little blue pill for good measure, lol Last week i had five items out of range but not enough to halt. It is not a walk in the park and i will be glad to take a break after August-14 Bob

Some recent interesting news going forward Imfinzi is the only immunotherapy to demonstrate overall survival at three years in unresectable Stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Data presented at ASCO 2019 showed 57% of patients alive at three years vs. 43.5% on placebo PUBLISHED 2 June 2019 https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2019/imfinzi-is-the-only-immunotherapy-to-demonstrate-overall-survival-at-three-years-in-unresectable-stage-iii-non-small-cell-lung-cancer02062019.html

Implications of Durvalumab Following PACIFIC Update This is from the update. I think there’s no doubt in my mind that the results of the PACIFIC trial really bring us to a new standard of care in stage III disease in that the potential benefit in long-term survival and overall cure rates is so significant that the risks are really quite minimal in my opinion with regard to that thinking about the risk/benefits sort of thing. I think the investment, from the patient’s perspective, of committing to a year of therapy is not insignificant, but that investment does translate into a 32% reduction in the risk of death. That is very significant, and most patients with stage III non–small cell lung cancer, with a good performance status, their goal is to be cured. And when you say to them that they have a slightly greater than 30% reduction in the risk of death, that is significant to patients, and certainly the risk that we put them at with regard to use of checkpoint inhibition, I think, is minimal relative to that 30%, 30-plus percent reduction in the risk of death. https://www.targetedonc.com/investigator-perspectives/socinski-consolidation-nsclc/implications-of-durvalumab-following-pacific-update

Intresting trial news April 2019 Trial design PACIFIC-R is an international, observational study that will enroll ∼1200 NSCLC pts who have received durvalumab as part of early access programs (EAPs) between Sept 2017 and Dec 2018. In the EAP, eligible pts are adults with histologically or cytologically documented unresectable, Stage III NSCLC, regardless of tumor PD-L1 expression, who have not progressed after definitive CRT. Pts received durvalumab (10 mg/kg intravenously) every two weeks. Pts will be enrolled in the PACIFIC-R study after discontinuation of the EAP in participating countries. Data will be abstracted from pts’ medical records at several time points within the 5 year study period. Primary endpoints are PFS (investigator assessed) and OS. Secondary endpoints include PFS and OS in pt subgroups; time to distant metastases; sites of disease progression; adverse events of special interest leading to treatment interruption, discontinuation or medical intervention; and descriptive analyses of demographic and clinical characteristics of pts treated with durvalumab in a real-world setting. Recruitment for this study is ongoing. https://oncologypro.esmo.org/Meeting-Resources/European-Lung-Cancer-Congress-2019/PACIFIC-R-first-real-world-study-of-patients-with-unresectable-stage-III-NSCLC-treated-with-durvalumab-after-chemoradiotherapy

Sept-3 after the last infusion August-14 #26 and meet the doc on Sept-6. I have had pressure in my ears for weeks and if not cleared up she will add neck and head to my upcoming Ct. That is excellent news when they tell you to keep going to the next CT. and number #26 gets closer and closer.

Michelle Yes the Brazil nuts work as i have been taking 2 a day for last six months. I liked your statement the other day not what IF but What is next. Goes right along with my Que Sera Sera cannot get it out of my head now. lol Bob

Yes and it seems you missed out on the dreaded itch and rash. Everyone will have different side effects and did not have to many come to think about it now one ER visit. I should have taken more care in my energy levels due to the fatigue.Bit late now.

Tom I am doing ok except for the chest infection and the cough that comes with it, Antibiotics will on my list come August-14 last infusion and yes i feel more of the effects since #18 onwards. The key for me has been the focus on getting to #26 and dealing with the side effects along the way it does drag out for me now but sure glad i stuck it out.

Tom When my thyroid went off the scale my doctor added T3 AND T4 Blood tests to check out the the high TSH levels.

Charles Thank you for your reply and again it speaks volumes of your wisdom and hope, And I will now look forward to your journey when you resume your Durvalumab treatment in the near future, and you will have no concerns about me correcting your posts again😎. All the best on your Durvalumab journey .Keep us posted, Sorry i could not be more helpful in your present situation. Stay the course Bob

Charles I think Eagle13 was answering this question of Barb1260. ? I’m questioning whether this is working. Bob

Barb If Durvalumab is not working for you the doctor on Thursday will be one that makes the decision to stop the drug due to progression or some serious side effect.

Opal This one is cross between a Border Collie and Smooth coated retriever i think was bred with the build for moving cattle or horses. I have Border collies in the past but after the last one great dog but no more pedigree dogs to inbred and this one is the last for me and #1 for me over many years with dogs.

Opal Good to hear from you i have three left to go if i could only get rid of the chest infection or whatever they want to call it and the docs are all aware of it as it shows on the CT .Had it since after the first scope in 2017 and many points in between except on Chemo where is was gone 😎.Yes the intresting part for me is now coming up after August-14 CT on Sept-3 and docs Sept-6, My bet is the Scan late December will tell the whole story good or bad and yes the treatment is also wearing me down to some degree. I never have concerns over waiting for scans results. Que Sera Sera ps If you made it this far you will make to #26😁 Bob Happy July-4

Jane Lee Sorry to hear about the New condition. The good news is the doctors are letting you continue with Durvalumab as its main purpose is to halt the spread of cancer. I get blood work every two weeks prior to my infusion. The key is the three month scans when on this drug and if no progression you continue to the next three months CT.Walking is great way to get excercise everyday as i do with my dog seven days week.Bed time and bloodwork in the morning and docs in the afternoon. Bob

Kleo I been called lots names in my day but Yoda is not one of them.😁 Now i do like the statement your Doc made Said I'm in alot better shape than I think I am. Got to love female doctors I am biased as i have two😎.One other thing you mentioned I am NOT typical for Durvalumab! It works wonderfully for most people! But you were the norm rather than the exception but who is going to refuse a excellent drug even with the percentages. Now that you have given up studying Oncology you can enjoy the summer between treatments. Bob