Clinical trial: Keytruda + CAN04 for progression on Keytruda

[LexieCat]

I posted about this under "Updates" but this looks like a good place to post as well. 

Found out this morning that while on Keytruda + Alimta for maintenance, my primary tumor and at least a couple of lymph nodes are now showing signs of progression, after what initially was a great response.

So my oncologist is recommending a clinical trial that involves infusions of Keytruda with the addition of a new immunotherapy drug, known now as CAN04, which is a monoclonal antibody and supposedly increases the efficacy of the Keytruda. My oncologist (at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center) is a sub-investigator for this trial and believes it's promising.

If anyone has any experience with this trial, I'd love to hear about it. Here are the details on the trial: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04452214.

[Opal]

Hi LexieCat, I don't know what the timeframe was for you on this and forgive me but I have to ask, was any consideration given to the fact you got the vaccine and now you have changes in lymph nodes? I'm hearing and reading the vaccine can cause nodes to swell/change. Hearing this on the news and reading about it makes me very nervous as I sure don't want the vaccine to wake up my treated lymph nodes.

I know this must sound trivial in the scheme of things but after I received a flu shot with my first  infusion causing me months of rashes, I tend to question is anyone looking into this?

Opal

 

 

[LexieCat]

It's not just the lymph nodes that enlarged--it's the primary tumor. The radiologist thought he saw progression on the last scan; oncologist wasn't so sure, but now he is. I had very little issue with the vaccine--chills and aches the morning after the second shot; sore arm for a couple more days and that was it. My second shot was Feb. 26, so it's been several weeks at this point.

I don't think you need to worry about its "waking up" any cancer in your lymph nodes. The nodes routinely swell in response to an infection--or, in the case of a vaccine, what the body THINKS is an infection. The only concern seems to be that the expected swelling would be misinterpreted. Don't think that's the issue for me, since the primary tumor also enlarged.